Man Out of Time
by Princepen
Summary: This story chronicles the adventures of TNG crew following the events of "Many Roads Untraveled". Previously posted, I will be reposting a few chapters at a time once I've edited them again. Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

 **2367**

There was no Starfleet Headquarters anymore. Whatever was salvageable of Starfleet had survived only because it had been off-world during the attack. The San Francisco he had known for thirty five years now consisted of piles of rubble, the twisted frames of downed aircraft, and hundreds of fires that had yet to be extinguished. Humans and aliens alike roamed the piles of rubble looking for their missing loved ones. Sometimes they found them, but more often they did not.

Once not long ago, Picard had another life, a ship, and he remembered the people he had served with. He had no idea where any of them were at the moment. But damn him if he could remember how he had ended up in this war zone. All he knew was that it felt as though he had been sleeping under this crashed shuttle for days. He'd found an extra environmental suit in the shuttle's cargo hold along with a lone phaser. The replicator was broken and there was no food. More importantly, the pilot had tragically been killed. He'd tried to revive the poor young woman, with no success—her neck had been broken. He had carried her body to the closest security checkpoint where they were keeping track of the dead.

He'd returned to the shuttle to take shelter for the night and had remained there ever since. Early on he'd found one of the enemy's rifles. Well, actually he'd stripped it from a dead Malkatan. It was a powerful disruptor, downright excessive in its destructive capabilities. He wasn't going to complain, because it had kept him alive those first days. The Malkatans had been ruthless, first destroying the structures with some kind of graviton beam. And then as people fled, their troops appeared out of thin air and began firing on every living creature they saw. Picard had fought back, and had seen others firing at the Malkatans with phasers and any other weapons they had been able to recover. But there was no organization yet, and before they could get it together the Malkatan's disappeared from San Francisco. According to the communications array he'd repaired in the shuttle the Malkatans had attacked London next. He supposed this pattern of terror would continue.

During the day, he searched for survivors. So far he'd found just two. He'd dragged them to safety, first carrying the daughter, and then going back for the father. The man was larger than Picard, and he'd had to drag him most of the way. The man couldn't feel his legs, he knew, but he apologized to the man for his remarkably poor medical skills. The man's dire situation had made him think of Beverly; of course she'd have known what to do…but where was she? He had no idea. The makeshift medic station had taken the father and his child in for care, and then they'd been off Picard's hands. At night he stayed warm by making a small fire for himself. But one night he began to feel strange, as though part of his body was somewhere else. For a moment he thought his hands disappeared. But it passed, and he shook it off. He needed to keep his senses sharp. Like everyone else he was simply waiting for the Malkatans to return.

* * *

 **2367 On board the Runabout**

"I just need—I just need to be alone for a while, Deanna," Beverly insisted.

"You said that two hours ago, Beverly," Troi said from the other side of the door. "It's been almost 24 hours since you returned to us from the past. Now, I can't help but sense your distress and I'm very concerned about you." Beverly remained silent. "I brought you something to eat," Troi added, hoping that would make the difference.

Presently, Deanna heard the door unlock and she moved forward and the door slid open in front of her. She smiled nervously and held out the plate of food to her friend. Beverly sat in the dark, and waved Troi to put the food down on the table.

"Thank you," she said dully, glancing away again to stare at the wall.

"Lights," Deanna said, still watching her friend. Beverly's lips moved again but no words came out, and she swiped a hand over her face distractedly.

Deanna sat down across from Beverly and leaned forward. "Who are you talking to?"

Beverly looked at her then and blinked. Her eyes appeared unfocused. "Him…I'm talking to him," she said, as if it were obvious.

"You mean, Captain Picard…what are you saying to him?"

Beverly moved the plate toward her and started picking at the food absently. Then, apparently not hungry she looked up at Troi again. "I'm telling him that I'm sorry I left him. And I am asking him to forgive me." She picked up a piece of bread with trembling fingers, and began to chew it slowly. Deanna handed her a glass of water, which she sipped gingerly.

"It's breaking my heart to see you like this. You have to take care of yourself, Beverly."

"You mean I have to take care of the baby," said Beverly. "I know that's what everyone is thinking right now. How could I be so selfish…how could I take advantage of a sick, disoriented man, who I'll never see again? A man who can never know that I'm having our child…how could I be so careless?"

Deanna frowned and shook her head. "My goodness, Beverly, of course no one is thinking all of that. We are all just worried about you…and yes, the baby, of course. What happened when you found the Captain?"

Beverly stared at her friend with red-rimmed eyes. "What do you _think_ happened, Troi? I came back pregnant," she snapped.

Deanna flinched, and sat back, lacing her finders together between her knees. She paused. "Beverly, in addition to all of the other stressors you must be dealing with right now, it is very possible that you are experiencing the discomfort of having traveled between time periods."

Beverly glanced at her friend and took another small bite of bread. "It's a very real possibility," she admitted.

Troi smiled gently. "Now if you were in my position, being a physician…what would you prescribe to make me feel better?"

Beverly sighed, beginning to appreciate her friend's patient manner. She didn't mean to be irritable. But Troi was right; she wasn't quite here in the present yet. "I would prescribe an anxiolytic—maybe give you a mild tranquilizer."

Troi smiled and nodded toward the med kit. "Do you have anything like that here with us?"

Beverly rolled her eyes and laughed slightly. "Yes, of course." She laughed again and reached out to take Deanna's hand. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. You're right—I'm obviously not myself, and suffering some after effects of time travel. Could you hand me the kit?"

Troi got up and picked up the med kit, handing it to Beverly carefully. "How are you feeling?" she asked, watching Beverly rummage around looking for the right hypo cartridge.

"I think I'm in shock…about the fact that I'm pregnant I mean," she said injecting the hypo into her neck with a hiss.

"What is the last thing you remember happening on the station?"

Beverly took in a shaky breath. "I turned my back to him and closed my eyes, waiting for the Traveler to take me, as he said he would." She looked down at the table and shook her head. "Jean-Luc was confused. He kept talking about bringing Wesley with us. Up until the moment I left I think he believed I was going to go with him on board the _Stargazer_."

"So he was coherent enough to understand that you were real."

"No, not really. He had been operating in survival mode for so long—and they had been treating him so cruelly, Deanna, that I think I was mostly still a fantasy to him. I think he was relying on images of a life with me to carry him through it all. But there was a moment," she closed her eyes tightly. "There was one moment of lucidity when he asked me if I was real. And I told him yes."

Deanna nodded slowly. "So you cannot be certain that he escaped the base."

"No. And until I know for sure…I just don't know, Deanna. I feel so horribly guilty."

Deanna got up to embrace Beverly comfortingly, when Geordi's voice came over the comm. "LaForge to Doctor Crusher…sorry to bother you, but I have an incoming pre-recorded call—it's for you."

A meaningful look passed between the two women even as they jumped up from the table and ran out into the main hold of the ship.

* * *

Worf's stern visage had never looked so compassionate. But his bruised and battered appearance also came through clear enough from the recorded message. The connection was full of static, and smoke billowed behind the Klingon in the darkness. It was clear something horrible had happened on Earth. Worf appeared to be outside.

" _Doctor, I send you greetings and hope that you and the rest of the old crew are well. I must tell you something. I have located Captain Picard. He is alive and has been fighting in the war with the rest of us few survivors. He wishes to speak with you. But I warn you…his memory is very poor. Communication stations are very scarce and in demand here, but I will arrange for him to call you within the next day. Wherever you are, you are safer staying where you are. Please do not travel to Earth. Starfleet is no more. Worf out._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

 **Several hours earlier on Earth**

He coughed, waving his hand in front of his face. This area was particularly smoke-filled and very treacherous under foot. Climbing to the top of the pile of refuse, he stopped and knelt down, pulling his shirt up over his face to shield it from the smoke. He thought he could hear someone's voice calling out very faintly. He put down his rifle and lay on his belly, placing his ear to a flat piece of a former wall. The voice cried out again. Someone was alive down there.

Excited, he looked up. "Hey! Over here! Someone is alive down here!" he shouted out to whoever might have been listening. Pushing himself to his feet, he began to toss pieces of rubble out of the way. Presently, an older woman scrambled up beside him and began moving stones out of the way. He nodded at her. "Hold on! We're going to get you out!" he shouted, working quickly but methodically to pull pieces of debris out of the way. Gradually they came to dirt and it was clear that a Malkatan weapon had discharged here, uprooting the earth and blasting existing structures and walkways into unrecognizable pieces of junk.

"Could you hand me that pipe there?" he asked the old woman, who handed it to him carefully. He took it from her, wiping dirt from his face. "This'll do...what is your name?" he asked with a breathless smile. "I'm Jean-Luc," he said, pushing the pipe at an angle into the mound of dirt.

"Mary," she said returning his smile, before resuming her efforts at digging. To his extreme happiness the center of the pile was moveable, hollow. Carefully he scooped some of the dirt out, as others began to crowd around, helping him and Mary.

After a time he stood up to get his breath, and let someone else take his place. He bent down with his hands on his knees. He really needed something to eat, and he knew this need would soon take priority over everything else. He could feel his energy ebbing, now that the adrenaline was leaving him. Food was scarce, but they would have to find a way.

"Captain!"

He turned and looked up into the sun, squinting at a huge shape that was running his way. Unable to grab his rifle in time, the fast moving giant grabbed him around the ribs and lifted him up into the sky. He was ready to slam his fists into the side of his attacker's head, when he realized that he recognized that very distinct head. "Worf!" The Klingon growled and squeezed him tightly again before dropping him back onto his feet.

The crowd of rescuers was pulling a young man out of the pile now. Picard slapped Worf on the shoulder as they both looked on, relieved. They were both laughing now, and it occurred to him that he couldn't remember having seen Worf laugh before. But then again, he couldn't remember much.

* * *

Beverly retreated to a somewhat private corner after the subspace call from Worf. He was _alive_. That meant he had escaped the base after all. Didn't it? Yes, of course it did. He was alive. She shut her eyes and felt grateful tears squeeze out of her eyes. "Do you hear me?" she put her hand on her abdomen. "Your daddy is alive," she whispered. Daddy. She wondered if Jean-Luc would object to the term, if he would prefer something else. Papa? Maybe something more formal, even. She sighed, not wanting to get ahead of herself. Who knows how he would feel about it at all? All she knew that she was now happy. And if only just for now, it was enough.

* * *

 **Approximately two days later on Earth…**

Jean Luc Picard awoke from an uneasy doze in the tiny cargo hold of the shuttle. Flexing his sore limbs, he sniffed in the air, letting his chest expand. Bad idea. There seemed to be no such thing as real fresh air on this planet anymore, and if there was it wasn't likely to be found in the cramped shuttle craft he had shared with Worf for a few days now. As he sat there, an odd feeling came over him. His hands tingled, and when he looked down he saw they were no longer solid. His head felt fuzzy and confused. He flexed his hands, trying to stem the oncoming panic, and worked to steady his breathing. _The same thing that happened to me a few nights ago is happening to me again!_ And then just as suddenly, he was fine again. He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. Rising to his feet, he resolved that if he was going to accomplish one thing today, it would be to make contact with Beverly.

* * *

 **A few hours later...**

Picard hunched down in front of the view screen anxiously. The pilot's chair he was sitting on kept tilting to the side unsteadily, threatening to drive him mad. Even worse, was the unreliability of the subspace relay. "I finally got this thing working, and now it's going to blank out on me again, dammit!" He hit the side of the console with a thud.

"Normally I would not be the one to deter you from violence, Captain," said Worf from behind him. "However, this shuttle's communications array is only one of two that are now operational in the 500 meter radius. If you strike it, it may no longer work. And…there are others waiting outside to use it," he reminded the Captain, nodding back out of the hatchway.

Picard glanced backward. "Humph." He knew there were at least thirty people outside waiting to use the shuttle to try and contact various loved ones. And despite the fact that he understood their frustrations, he was also irritated by the constant lack of privacy now that everyone knew his communications console was working.

"It's only working because _I_ fixed it," he grumbled mostly to himself. "Of course, Worf, don't worry I won't take too long," he said in a louder voice.

"Besides," he said with a small smile. "Sometimes all you have to do is give it a good tap," he said. He tapped the side of the console again for emphasis. "See?" he said crinkling his forehead as he glanced over his shoulder.

Worf shrugged looking on unimpressed. Then he placed his hands behind his back and stood motionless as though he was waiting for something.

Picard straightened in the wobbly pilot's seat, now satisfied that the communications array was as good as could be for the moment. Unfortunately, he noted that Worf continued to stand behind him.

"Worf…I'd like a bit of privacy, please," he suggested tightly, looking up at the Klingon.

Worf frowned. "Oh."

Picard spun in the seat. " _Oh?_ Is that all you have to say? My memory may be faulty, but there was a time you know when you obeyed my orders without question, Mr. Worf." He immediately realized how silly that sounded and laughed. "Come now Worf… I just need to make this one call," he said turning back around.

"I was going to…observe your call in case you make a ... _mistake_ when speaking to Doctor Crusher," Worf said sounding very confident of this possibility.

Picard spun his chair back around slowly. But instead of creating the dramatic effect he had intended, he nearly slid off of it. He stopped himself abruptly, trying to maintain whatever dignity he still possessed. "Now just what kind of _mistake_ do you think I am going to make, Worf?"

"Your memory of recent events beyond the Malkatan attack is less than perfect—in some cases, it is non-existent."

 _Blunt as ever._ Picard rubbed his hands on his knees. "Granted. But you've filled me in, Worf, really helped me. The events leading up to my disappearance, the changed timeline…."

Worf shifted uncomfortably. "Sir, I was not present for most of your interactions with Doctor Crusher in the months after we lost the Enterprise. There is a possibility that you may say something that she…does _not_ appreciate."

Worf had a point. Picard stared at him for a few moments, trying to think of all those possibilities, and none of them were good. After a moment he pursed his lips." Yes…well I suppose I will just take my chances, then," he said turning back around to face the view screen.

"Your _chances_ are not very good, Captain."

"And thank you for the vote of confidence," Picard added with some sarcasm.

"Any time, Captain," said Worf seriously. "Now, I will go and provide crowd control," he said crouching down to squeeze himself out of the shuttle's hatch.

Picard sighed and activated the console. "Work please," he murmured repeatedly until a connection was made, and a familiar face popped onto the screen. It was Geordi LaForge.

"Captain!" LaForge was laughing with apparent delight. "You're back! Good to see you sir." The engineer's smile was radiant.

"And you, Geordi," said Picard distractedly. "I should thank you for everything you've done. Obviously I wouldn't be here without the efforts of you and the others."

"Sir, you would have done the same for us…" Geordi glanced over his shoulder, and was talking to someone. "Yeah, it's him, Wes!" He turned back to regard him. "Hold on sir, your connection's not too strong. I'm going to try to tighten it up and transfer you to the Doctor's private terminal," Geordi said.

* * *

Jean-Luc held his breath for what seemed like minutes before she appeared on the screen. He began to slide off the pilot's seat again, and caught himself.

"Hello," he said, not knowing what else to say. He truly felt in that moment that he was seeing her for the first time. Perhaps in a way he was. She smiled at him and he could feel that she cared for him more than she ever had, even though they were so far away from each other. They stared at each other through the scratchy screen for a few more moments.

"Hello, Jean-Luc." She was holding her hands in front of her, and the most nervous expression he had ever seen her display was dominating her features. _But why?_ "I'm so glad to see you. Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Thanks to you," he said, feeling his voice catch in his throat in response to her immediate smile. He watched as she leaned in closer. "Worf is with me, as you know. He told me that you saved me in the past. He's been helping me to-to remember. I've had some trouble with my memory," he admitted, trailing off.

She brushed the hair out of her eyes, and tried to connect with his gaze through the fuzzy screen. "How much do you remember?"

His smile retreated abruptly at her question. "I...well I remember you, my friend," he said, his smile returning again. She gave a little laugh. He frowned as he fiddled with a control off screen. "And Worf...and the others of course. I do remember my life before generally, but many of the details are...vague. It's difficult to-"

He broke off and turned at the sound of elevated but muffled voices. "For the _last time_ , wait your damn turn," he shouted, still craning his neck. "All I ask for is five damn minutes," he complained to seemingly invisible people.

Beverly looked on incredulously. "Who are you talking to?"

Picard grabbed the console in front of him as the shuttle craft began to rock back and forth, and shouts could be heard outside. It seemed some of the other survivors had no intention of granting his request. He tried to appear casual, gesturing back over his shoulder.

"Oh...just...everyone," he said with a shrug.

She moved closer to the screen as his image began to break up. "You're sure you're alright?"

He smiled; still just genuinely glad to see her face. "Yes, I promise." Then something made him reconsider. "Actually I have been having these-these episodes, I suppose you would call them."

Beverly wrapped her coat around her in an odd way, and leaned in with concern. "What kind of episodes, Jean-Luc?"

He looked up at the ceiling briefly. "Sometimes I feel as though I am shifting. I'm here but I'm not. And—and I don't know if I am losing my mind," he said, his lip beginning to tremble. Embarrassed, he silently cursed his lack of composure.

Abruptly, there was a loud noise outside the shuttle and he hoped Beverly would not hear it. He knew Worf had just fired a phaser—he hoped not directly into the angry crowd.

"What was that?" she asked suspiciously.

Jean-Luc crinkled his forehead. "Hmm? Oh, just some crowd control, don't worry."

"Of course, I'm worried, Jean-Luc. Worf said the Malkatans are gaining more and more territory each day. I need to know that you are going to try and stay safe."

He smiled. "Of course, I will," he said seriously. He rubbed his palms over his arms, feeling the chill of the evening coming on. "Beverly, promise me you won't try to travel to Earth." He looked away suddenly feeling on the verge of tears. "It's not the same place you knew," he said roughly, turning back to the screen. "And right now, I don't see how it can ever be the same again."

She wiped tears from her eyes. "But I need to see you."

He smiled sadly. "Yes, and you will, I promise. But right now, you need to stay safe as well. The Malkatans—"

There was a brief look of terror in her eyes, when he said that word. And a familiarity she should not have had. "Jean-Luc, how much do you remember about the Malkatans?" she broke in quickly.

He stared at her. There were obviously things that Worf either had not known about her visit to the past, or had not told him. Beverly had encountered his past self, and he had been captured by the Malkatans, she had somehow saved him. Before now, he hadn't wondered too much about the details. "I don't remember anything," he admitted quietly. "My first memories of the Malkatans are here on Earth." Beverly nodded and glanced away. "What happened to you, Beverly? Were you harmed?"

 _Thank goodness he doesn't remember the horrible things they did to him. And he doesn't remember that we were together._

She shook her head again. "No, it's not like that," she mumbled.

He scratched his chin, and sighed, glancing behind him. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to sign off soon, unfortunately, these people just—"

"Jean-Luc, I need to tell you something," she said in a rush. Her eyes were wide, and he reached out to touch the screen, wishing he could transmit some comfort through the screen.

"Yes?" he said.

Her mouth opened wordlessly for a moment. "I'm pregnant," she said quickly.

He blinked rapidly. "Oh…oh, I see."

She pressed her lips together nervously and raised her eyebrows. "Do you?"

He threatened to fall off the seat again, and instead got up quickly. He scratched the back of his neck. "I…um, I don't see how—I mean, I wasn't aware that—how did this happen?" he finished, feeling completely confused.

She clasped her hands together. "It happened because we were together, Jean-Luc," she said. "We were together, and…I'm pregnant."

"No," he said. "We've never even…I mean, I'll admit, I _have_ thought about it before."

She smiled despite her anxiousness. "We were together in the past, Jean-Luc." Her smile faded, still unsure of his response to this revelation.

He paced back and forth with his arms crossed. "I'm sorry Beverly, I know my memory is spotty, but I _would_ remember this, I can assure you—"

"You don't remember what the Malkatans did to you, Jean-Luc. That they tortured you," she said quietly. "Maybe you won't ever remember what happened between us because the future and past are changing faster than any of us can keep up. But that doesn't mean that it didn't happen."

He stopped pacing, and then sat down heavily. "But I _do_ want to remember," he said. "I truly wish that I could."

She brought her hands up to her face and smoothed them over her temples. "Does that mean you want this?"

He laughed and brought his hand to his chest. "Yes," he said, surprising even himself. Her look of relief came through as clear as he now felt. "We're going to have a child," he said. "This is a wonderful thing," he said.

"Yes," she said. "Listen, we'll talk again, I know you have to go, but…"

The shuttle craft shook violently, and he fell to the deck from an explosive reverberation. It was coming from outside the shuttle. "Worf!" he shouted. Pulling himself up he saw an expression of horror on Beverly's face just before the transmission cut out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

 **2367 San Francisco**

"Humans!" A voice speaking through some kind of amplification device boomed through the air. There was some delay as the Malkatan's words were translated through the same device. Picard and Worf slipped out through the hatch of the shuttle as quietly as possible. Dropping down into the dirt, they crouched underneath the overturned craft and peered out from behind cover. Worf powered up his phaser and Picard carefully pulled the Malkatan rifle from over his shoulder, laying it down in front of him.

"Humans of Earth will gather around me," the voice ordered again. The crowd of people who had been waiting for the communications console, shrank back, and Picard could now see the Malkatan in the center of the crowd. He must have used his singularity vessel to travel here. They had already learned that the Malkatan's main mode of travel was nearly instantaneous, so there was no telling where he had transported from. "Your immediate deaths have been ordered by the Grand General Unh, the Supreme Ruler of Malkata, and new Chancellor of Earth," said the Malkatan.

Picard rolled to his side and tucked the butt of the rifle underneath his armpit. He nodded to Worf.

"You may kneel, or you may stand," threatened the Malkatan. "But either way your lives will end, to make way for the flood of Malkatans who will take your place as the rulers of this planet." He activated a device he held in his palm, the center of which began to spin in a fist sized black orb of energy. "Prepare for your afterlife," shouted the Malkatan.

"Shoot for the device on stun, and I'll take my chances with hitting him," Picard murmured. "You have better aim…." he admitted.

"I know," said Worf.

The Malkatan held up the singularity device over his head. "Who will be the first—" The weapons discharged almost at once, and the singularity device shot out of the Malkatan's hand just as the plasma projectile burst through his chest. Staring into the sky in silent shock, he dropped to the ground instantly lifeless.

Picard scrambled forward on all fours. "Don't touch it!" he shouted into the frantic crowd. He jumped to his feet as the Malkatan's weapon continued to roll through the dirt for a few more second before it apparently deactivated itself. Worf bent down and grabbed the singularity device and picked it up.

Picard looked around. "It's high time we all started working together," he called out. "Now let's split into groups and search for something to eat. We'll meet back here in 20 minutes."

"Who are you to give us orders? What if they come back here in 20 minutes to kill us all?" a young man challenged.

"The Malkatans are arrogant," said Worf. "They have confidence in their singularity weapons and only sent one executioner. Most likely they will not send reinforcements until they realize he is dead."

"I'm not going to scrounge around for food in the trash while they come back here and hunt us down," the man shouted.

Picard slung the rifle back over his shoulder. "Suit yourself, I'm hungry," he said, turning to walk away. Worf was not at all surprised to find that nearly the entire crowd followed behind him.

* * *

 **2367 South Pacific Ocean, Earth**

As the spinning Singularity Ring continued skimming over the expanse of the grey-blue ocean, the Malkatan navigator announced something new. "Sensors show there are creatures in this part of the world living underneath the water. Shall I deploy plasma charges and destroy them?"

General Unh limped forward to look at the sensor diagram. "No, they are a potential food source. Leave them alone for now."

"We are approaching another body of land in two trams, General," said the navigator.

"Prepare the graviton weapon," General Unh ordered and then leaned on the central tactical station table. A large map of the Earth glowed beneath his gaze. He pointed to various points on the map as his second in command joined him. "These cities have already been conquered, Razul. While the Humans are weak and still in the process of re-grouping we must return and wipe them out. They will not expect it, and we must be merciless if we are to prepare the way for the rest of our people. And the Humans must not interfere with our relocation efforts."

"I will notify the other units," said Major Razul. He looked at the General, and was disturbed to see that his commanding officer was clutching at his neck suddenly. "General!"

General Unh dropped to his knees, clutching at some invisible force that was cutting off his airway. Razul stared wide-eyed as the General's stumpy legs began to fade and then re-appeared again before Razul's squinty eyes. He choked, and slapped at his throat desperately. Razul bent down to hear better what the General was trying to say, but made no move to help him. The General took in a shuddering breath. "Pi…card!"

* * *

 **2367 On Board the Runabout Somewhere near Maxia**

Beverly stretched her arms up over her head, and then put her feet up on the couch, leaning her elbow on the table next to her. She was tired, but didn't want to sleep. After a call to Jean-Luc, and then the way that had ended…with an explosion outside of his shuttle; she had no idea how her nerves would ever settle down again. "Deanna...do you think that this condition he is talking about is similar to what was happening to him before he disappeared in Hawaii that day?"

"It is possible Beverly, but if that is the case, wouldn't that mean that he was again phasing back to another time, or in between time periods? And why would he have returned to us if something went wrong after you left him on the base?"

"Well…you said yourself that you checked the data banks again this morning, and the computer still believes he disappeared in 2355," said Beverly.

"Yes but...the time shift last time wasn't immediate. Perhaps it takes time for recorded history to readjust to the new events," Troi suggested hopefully.

"But let's just say that something is still off-something I did perhaps in the past-"

"Beverly! _Why_ does it have to be something that _you_ did? You are being much too hard on yourself," Troi scolded her gently. "Now I want you to remember that you are not the one who caused this horrible situation. Bok did this."

She stared at an invisible point over Deanna's shoulder as if she didn't quite hear her friend. "If the same thing is happening to him that happened before…why didn't he _tell_ me?"

Deanna sighed, reluctant to go down this road, and upset her friend further, but she had to admit there was some validity to Beverly's concerns. "Assuming for the sake of argument that you are right and the timeline has yet to be corrected, perhaps the effect is not as strong as it was. And you said the Captain doesn't remember his capture by the Malkatans in the past. If he was experiencing the trauma of those events while still trying to exist in our time, he must have been quite literally tortured and confused. And…perhaps the invasion of Earth, along with the sudden realization of fatherhood has changed him already. It is natural that he would want to share really everything with you at this point, with the stakes being so high. Although I am unable to sense his emotions from so far away, I know that he desperately wants to stay alive to reunite with you."

Beverly rubbed her weary eyes. "I'm worried about him," she said simply.

Deanna tapped her fingertips on the table lightly. "I know." She brightened a bit. "At least he and Worf are together."

Beverly nodded, but didn't say anything. They both looked up as Wesley walked toward the small lounge area. He twisted his hands together in front of him, as though conflicted, before approaching.

"Um...how are you, Mom?" Wesley put his hand on his mother's shoulder before sitting down next to her.

"Alright, Wes. And how are you?"

He looked down at his hands.

Deanna started to get up from her seat. "I should go," she said.

"No, it's alright," Wesley said quickly. "You don't have to leave, Counselor."

Beverly leaned back against the small couch, still watching her son.

"I know I should probably feel weird about the baby and everything," said Wesley after a moment. "But I don't. I'm really glad...as long as it's what you want Mom," he said, looking up at her.

She nodded. "It is," she said, offering him a small smile.

"How did-how did the Captain take it, when you told him Mom?"

"He was shocked...under the circumstances I couldn't blame him. But then he let me know-in his own way, that he was happy."

Wesley raised his eyebrows. "Even though…I mean you know how he is about kids."

Beverly smiled slowly. "Wes, his feelings about children probably come mostly from inexperience. And I believe he had some issues with his own father while growing up. We're all formed by our relationships with our parents, whether they are present in our lives or not. I know I was; and so were you," she said taking his hand in hers.

He shrugged but then nodded. "I know it sounds strange," he said slowly, "but maybe this was meant to happen this way."

"You mean the baby?"

He nodded.

"I don't know, Wes," she said softly. "It's hard for me to feel that way when Jean-Luc is so far away and I have no way of knowing if he's alright."

"Then…are we going back to Earth to join the fight?" Wesley seemed almost hopeful in a way that concerned her.

"I don't know Wesley...as much as I want to fly back to Earth, I think it's best if we wait for Commander Riker and the _Aldrin_ to arrive, and then decide from there."

Wesley looked disappointed, but nodded. "Okay," he said, getting up from his seat. "I'm going to help Data with the replicated neutralizer. We're still trying to break down its main functions, so we can figure out how to use it against the Malkatans."

Beverly nodded and continued to watch her son as he walked away. She could tell that Deanna was about to say something, when almost as soon as Wesley left, Geordi entered.

He hesitated in the doorway. "Uh…."

Beverly laughed and waved him in. He was holding a cup in his hands, and he walked with careful concentration so as not to spill it. Stopping abruptly, he held it out to her with an oddly nervous grin.

Beverly reached up tentatively to take the steaming cup from Geordi's outstretched hands. "My mother used to make this for my Aunt Lizzy when she was pregnant," he said. "I was young at the time, but she showed me how," he said. "Only thing is, I'm not so sure the replicator had all the right ingredients. And, um, I'm also not sure what exactly it's supposed to help you with..."

Beverly sniffed in the aroma and smiled up at him. "Thank you, Geordi, it smells lovely. Actually it reminds me of something my grandmother taught me to make...a long time ago."

"Well good," he said awkwardly. He wiped his hands on his pants and backed up. "Okay, bye," he said awkwardly, before exiting the room.

Beverly and Deanna shared a look before they both broke into laughter, only to be interrupted by the appearance of Data. They turned to look at him in surprise.

 _Now what?_ "Data?" Beverly watched as the android walked with swift efficiency to the table and sat down across from the two women.

"Doctor…after your return from the Malkatan base, I noticed something concerning about your medical readings."

Beverly crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at Troi who looked just as puzzled. "Oh?"

Data nodded. "Yes. Upon learning of your sudden pregnancy, I attempted to calculate the fetal age of the embryo, by approximating the time of fertilization, and implantation. Given the limited approximately five hour period you were with Captain Picard on the base, I was able to estimate as close as possible the time of conception. And based on the finite number of opportunities for copulation—"

"Data!" Deanna shouted.

Beverly dropped her face into the palm of her hand briefly. "Honestly, Data…."

Data tilted his head and looked from one woman to the other. "I am being honest, Doctor, in fact—"

"Data," said Beverly, closing her eyes. "I know. I am a doctor after all."

Deanna frowned. "Know what?"

"And you are not concerned?" Data asked.

"Concerned about _what_?" Deanna demanded, now sounding concerned herself.

Beverly took a deep breath in. "My baby…the pregnancy is somewhat accelerated." Deanna stared at her in shocked silence. "I'm two weeks further along than I should be," she admitted. "I don't know why," she said. "I can only assume it's because of the time shifting. I came twelve years back and then forward in time within five hours. That's a lot of traveling."

"But…."

"But the baby's okay," Beverly reassured Troi. "Perfectly healthy."

* * *

 **2355 Malkatan Base**

"Come on, Jean-Luc," he said out loud to himself over and over. "You can do it." His hands fumbled clumsily with the hypos. He shut the med kit. _She's gone_ , he told himself. _But I have proof in my hands that she was here,_ he thought. He shook his head, trying to clear his muddy thoughts. _Go_.

He grabbed a pistol from the hip of one of the unconscious guards and slipped out into the hallway without looking back. What he was leaving was captivity…torture. Where he was headed was to freedom. She had told him she would be waiting for him, and he believed her. She had never, ever lied to him. In fact, she was the only thing that was true to him anymore.

She had left him the tiny map of the base on a very advanced looking tricorder. Probably a new medical version. He jogged in the direction of the immense room, which according to the map held his crew. Some of the controls on the tricorder puzzled him, but he found the room. Swiping a guard's key, he opened the door and stepped in.

* * *

The room was freezing—literally. He was dizzy immediately, because even the cold did not mask the smell. He stared around the room as if in a nightmare. He gagged and knelt down to get a closer look. Averting his eyes he felt for a pulse. Nothing. Standing up again he walked slowly through the maze of bodies. Most had holes in their skulls or chests where they had been shot. His crew. He recognized them all.

He stopped in the center of the room. All of his people, dead. _Oh,_ _Beverly, they murdered my crew._ He bent over retching again, and fought as a wave of dizziness rolled over him.

Gripping the pistol, he ran from the room and raced down the hall, now working from the memory of having been dragged down it by his arms just days before. The door to the room he was looking for was already open.

General Unh lay on the floor, unconscious. Picard pulled out the hypo and put it to the Malkatan's neck. "Wake up," shouted Picard. "Wake up!" Slowly the Malkatan opened his narrow eyes, and looked at Picard. His eyes widened just slightly before Picard wrapped his hands around the General's neck, squeezing with all of his might. The alien began to choke and wheeze, pounding Picard with his powerful arms. "Pi-card," General Unh gasped, but Picard just gripped him harder.

Sweat poured over his forehead from the effort, and he let go with one hand to wipe his eyes. That was when he saw them, curled up on the floor, bound with restraints. They were the last two members of his crew; Zev and Vigo. He looked down at the Malkatan in his grip and decided then that he had to let go for his crew. They were only three left alive, but they still deserved to escape. He staggered to his feet, breathing heavily. They would take the _Stargazer_ , find reinforcements, come back and destroy this base. Yes, he would outlast the Malkatans.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

 **2367 The Runabout**

"I know that something isn't quite right," said Wesley, as he lay down on his bunk, once it appeared that he was alone. But he hoped that someone in particular did hear his words. "We didn't go about saving the Captain in the right way…." He turned his head back and forth in the darkness. "Why won't you tell me?" he whispered.

"Because I do not know the right way, Wesley," floated the Traveler's voice. "It is going to be up to you and your friends to make things right. I am sorry. If you determine that you must enter the past again, please contact me then."

Wesley sat up quickly and sat on the edge of his narrow bunk. He looked around in the darkness, but the Traveler was nowhere to be found.

* * *

 **2355 Malkatan Base**

"Captain..." Zev gripped his arm tightly as the hypo began to take effect, waking her up. Slowly her dark eyes focused in on his face. "Captain, they told us you were dead."

He clenched his jaw and grabbed her hand in his own. He glanced at General Unh, lying unconscious on the floor. He had wanted to kill the General, but had injected him with a sedative from Beverly's med kit instead. "They lied," he said, turning back to Zev. "But the rest of the crew..."

"The others are dead, Captain," she said, getting to her feet with their help. "Vigo witnessed it," she said, nodding at the still unconscious tactical officer. "The General made him watch as they slaughtered our people. All of them."

"I know. I found them...all together in a room. I'm so sorry, Zev..."

"It doesn't look as though you were spared any suffering yourself Captain," she said looking him over. "It seems they tortured us all, didn't they?" She struggled to her feet with his help. He could see that one of her sensitive antennae had been severed or damaged so much by her captors that it had fallen off.

He tried to keep his anger at their situation under control. "We were all so disoriented for days," she continued, still dazed. "They tortured us and because our minds were so jumbled from the Singularity Net that we couldn't fight back," she said. "We saw things…some people went mad. I thought I saw my wife and children. Vigo saw his dead son. Did you have these visions as well, Captain?"

Visions. He backed away from her slowly. Beverly's arrival had reminded him that there was a world outside to return to. She had given him hope. He didn't quite understand how she had arrived on the base, or how much of what had happened between them had truly been real; but she had told him _she_ was real, and he knew that she had never lied to him. But he also knew that he had to keep this to himself. Zev and Vigo didn't need to know all of the details, and they might think he was crazy, if he told them about Beverly. So he chose not to answer her question for now.

"It's not over yet, Zev. We're going to get out of here. And then the Malkatans will pay for what they have done."

His first officer nodded. "I believe you, sir. But Vigo-they broke down his mind, Captain."

"Nonsense," Picard said with a stubbornness inspired by his fear that Zev might be right. "I'm sure he's fine. He's always been one of my best officers. He'll make it out with us." Vigo had to be alright if they were to escape.

"Sir, I am warning you," continued Zev. "He hates you now. The Malkatans told Vigo you were the reason they killed the rest of the crew. General Unh told Vigo that you refused to give them the weapons' security codes, even when Unh threatened to kill us all."

"No...no, that's not true."

"I told him that sir, but..."

Picard turned to look over at Vigo. The man's olive green skin was now gaunt and pale. He wondered if he had appeared just as sickly to Beverly when she had first seen him. He put the thoughts out of his mind and walked toward Vigo.

Holding his breath, he leaned in and held the hypo to Vigo's throat. His eyelids fluttered open, and after seeming to recognize the Captain the man let out a shriek, and thrust his palm up into Picard's chin, slamming his jaw shut violently and sending him reeling backwards. Vigo scrambled up into a chair and looked at Picard with a mix of fear and rage.

Picard shook his head and staggered back to Vigo. "Vigo—it's me!" He grabbed the man's shoulders almost desperate to get through to him, but Vigo reached up and scratched his face with his fingernails.

"Aaa!" Picard fell backwards onto the floor clutching his bleeding face.

Commander Zev rushed to Vigo. "Vigo, no! It's Captain Picard. He's alive and he didn't betray us. He's come back to us, and we are going to escape together."

Vigo's breathing slowly calmed down and he looked from Zev to Picard and back again.

"Vigo," Zev said more softly. "We have a chance to leave now. The Malkatans are disabled, but only for a few hours more. Where is the Ferengi shuttle you said you saw when they took you to another part of the base?"

"It—it was in a hangar bay. I think I can find it again," he stammered still looking at Picard suspiciously. Picard wiped his bloody face with his sleeve, but said nothing.

"Good," said Zev. "Captain, once we get to the Stargazer, how do you know we'll be able to free ourselves? The Singularity net is very powerful."

"I have—I found this," he said, holding up the neutralizer Beverly had given him. "It will neutralize the hold the graviton field has on the ship, and we can get out of here."

Vigo's eyes narrowed. "How did you find that? What did you do to all of these Malkatans? Where did he get a med kit? I don't trust him," he shouted at Zev.

Picard suddenly slammed his hand down on a nearby table. "Enough of this! Do you want to interrogate me, or do you want to survive? If you want to _live_ , Vigo then you had better start trusting me," he shouted. "Now come on," he urged both of them, gathering up the tools Beverly had given him. "Let's go."

* * *

 _2367_ **The** _ **USS Aldrin**_ **several days after the attack on Earth**

In the space of the several days since he had spoken with Deanna Troi, things had changed drastically for Riker and the rest of Starfleet's ship captains. Repairs to the _Aldrin_ were almost complete following a surprise attack on the ship while at New Brazil. Now, the _Aldrin_ was one of ten starships to be recalled to Earth to serve in a defensive capacity against the Malkatan invasion, while the remaining ships continued patrolling the rest of the Federation.

Starfleet had been caught unaware, or at least had not been adequately prepared; and consequently it had suffered massive casualties both on Earth and throughout Federation territory. Starfleet Command was non-existent, and the chain of command scrambled to reorganize itself. Communication between Earth and the starships was erratic at best. There were still admirals off Earth posted in star bases, and a few on diplomatic starships, but widespread communications problems left the Fleet largely in disarray.

The Malkatans, as the crew of the _Aldrin_ had learned first-hand, seemed to have technology which allowed them to be in more than one place at once. Following their initial attacks on Federation colonies, the Malkatans had been luring ships to various locations and ambushing them by using a devastating graviton weapon. The _Aldrin_ had been no exception, as they had been attacked without provocation while investigating the massacre on the New Brazil colony.

When he had last spoken to Deanna, Beverly hadn't yet traveled into the past, the Earth hadn't yet been invaded, and he hadn't yet been under orders to return to Earth. So Riker had to re-think his plans to rendezvous with the runabout to obtain the neutralizer technology from Data and Geordi. Was it still the right thing to do? Eventually, he resolved that yes, it was; which meant that he had to disobey the order to return to Earth.

And so he had called a meeting right there on the bridge. A few minutes into it, he began to regret that he hadn't worked on a few of them individually first. They stared at him with collectively shocked and confused expressions.

Commander Obi was the first to speak. "Captain you have to admit that what you're saying sounds…."

"Crazy?" Riker who had been pacing the middle of the _Aldrin's_ bridge, stopped and glanced back at his First Officer, who stood very still in the command center.

"Sir," said Patrick Obi, putting out his hands anxiously. "I wouldn't go that far…but, well Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a legend to all of us. But he's been dead for years. For you to say that you knew him, and served under him, well, sir it's hard to believe."

Riker looked at the man squarely. "But it's the truth," said Riker. "He hasn't been dead for years. And I do know him. In the real timeline—the one we're all supposed to be living in-I knew him better than I know my own father, until he disappeared just a few weeks ago. And now we know that there is no coincidence that his disappearance happened just days before the first Malkatan attacks."

Doctor Mayer leaned on one of the science stations. Her facial expression and tone were questioning. "Let's say we believe you—that the default time period is one in which Captain Picard exists in the present day. I still do not see the link between Captain Picard's disappearance and the Malkatans," said Doctor Mayer.

"That is what I have been trying to explain…" said Riker. "Now I don't have all of the details, but the Malkatans are here now primarily because the Ferengi introduced our technology to the Malkatans along with a powerful alien graviton trap in 2355. If the Ferengi hadn't messed with time, we wouldn't be in this situation now."

"The same year Captain Picard disappeared," said Lieutenant Commander Meeta.

Riker nodded. "Yes, but he didn't disappear. Daimon Bok wanted revenge for the death of his son, which in the correct timeline was the result of his son attacking the Stargazer in 2355, and the Stargazer prevailing in battle. Bok blamed Captain Picard, and a few years ago he tried to ruin the Captain over it. This is just another more elaborate attempt to not only humiliate the Captain, but to erase him both from the present, and from recent recorded history."

"As you know Admiral Richardson has ordered us to return to Earth to provide defense against the Malkatan attacks," said Riker. "But we're not going. At least not yet."

The Bridge was silent. "We need something that Commander Data has—something the Ferengi gave him which could turn the tide in this war."

"What is it?" asked Lieutenant Kashirin. "A weapon?"

Riker shook his head. "It has the potential technology to dampen the effect of the graviton weapons the Malkatans are using against us."

"Like the one that pulled us almost clear through that planet," said Obi. "If we have access to this technology, I agree, it could make the difference."

"But we would be disobeying orders," said Kashirin.

"It's my order to disobey," said Riker. "I'm happy to take the blame. But I need your cooperation, and your trust."

Just then Doctor Mayer strolled over to stand next to him, gaining the crew's attention. "I have another theory," she declared.

"Giving Captain Riker the benefit of the doubt that he has not lost his mind—and he believes what he is saying—you all have to admit that he is the only one of us who has experienced what he keeps calling the 'correct' timeline. But what if in the correct timeline, Captain Picard is dead, and is _supposed_ to be dead? Who are you to say whether this is the correct time? When this is all the rest of us have ever known?" she said staring Riker down.

"I am asking my crew to trust me," he said tightly. "If you don't, I can live with that," he said.

"But what about you?" she asked the crew, spanning the bridge with her cool gaze. "Do you want to take the chance that if you help your captain, you might disappear? What if I never existed in what Riker refers to as the correct timeline?"

Riker turned his back to Dr. Mayer. "I will admit that Doctor Mayer makes a persuasive argument. But I'm only asking you to help me to fight the Malkatans in this time period —whatever the hell time we happen to be living in right now —I know we all want to protect it. Now who is with me?" Riker looked around at his crew. No one moved for what seemed like an eternity to Riker. Doctor Mayer smiled beside him.

Commander Obi stepped forward finally. "I am sir."

"I am as well," Meeta said, raising her hand.

"Count me in too, sir," said Kashirin from tactical.

Doctor Mayer stepped away from Riker with controlled anger, and then swiftly exited the bridge.

* * *

 **The Planet Ferenginar**

"Kad, you useless spawn of a gree-worm, how dare you show your ugly face to me? Why are you calling me?" Bok's contorted, angry face sneered from the view screen.

"Brom has betrayed you, Daimon," said Kad smoothly.

"So have you," Bok shouted at his former subordinate. "And I am guessing that he paid you just as handsomely as I did, when I contracted with you to ensure that Jean-Luc Picard died in the hands of the Malkatans. But you failed at that, just as you fail at everything."

"Blame me all you want, Bok, but you were sloppy. You believed that because Picard disappeared from our time that he would die on Malkata at some point in the past. And you may have been right. But something has else happened. There has been a new intervention—facilitated by your son, Brom. Picard has escaped!"

Bok stood up and threw a series of objects at the wall, wishing that Kad was there in person to take the hits directly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I am willing to give you the information you need to travel back in time to kill him yourself. It is the only way to make certain that your vengeance has succeeded."

"Name your price," Bok demanded.

"All you have to do is disown Brom and transfer all of his property to me," said Kad.

"How can I be certain that you are not tricking me?"

Kad smiled. "Picard's woman knows all about it. Why don't you question her? She and her crew are at Maxia. And then I strongly recommend that you kill her as well."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **2367 Earth**

Picard pulled himself up and into the shuttle. "Here," he said, holding out a backpack with one hand, and munching on an apple with the other. "I brought some food."

"Thank you," said Worf, without turning from his seat at the communications terminal.

Picard crouched down, and rifled through the bag looking for something suitable for a Klingon. He turned on his handheld lantern and placed it on the floor, as it was now growing dark outside. Thankfully it was still late June, and so they had the sunlight in their favor until late evening.

He'd grabbed some fruit, some bread, cheese and water from the recent food gathering expedition and stuffed it into his backpack. Just twenty minutes after the food search parties had set out, three civilians, including Mary, the woman who had helped him rescue a man a few days ago, had found the underground remains of the Starfleet Medical cafeteria.

There were still back-up plasma generators powering some areas of the partially caved in room, and then the women had been ecstatic to find a replicator, but found out soon afterward to their dismay that it wasn't working. The computer network that had connected the building and all of its components had been destroyed along with the majority of the building, and the replicators were no longer functioning as a result.

But in the kitchen the women found several refrigerators with substantial amounts of food in them, as well as a walk-in freezer and boxes of dried goods. It was more than enough to give them hope, and they had packed bags full of food and brought it back to the site of Picard's shuttle to share with the group. It was agreed that the next day another group would travel out to secure the area around their new source of food, to keep it protected.

The Malkatan's body had been dragged away and buried, after much argument about what to do. It was a given that the Malkatans would return eventually. Later on and almost as if in challenge to the Malkatans, and against the strongly urged advice of Picard, a huge bonfire was started. The group of roughly one hundred people laughed, ate, and danced, almost giddy from the joy of having full bellies for the first time in days. The more noise they made the more people seemed to show up, until Picard quite literally stopped counting.

He watched from a distance, finding he was having a difficult time celebrating such a small victory. He also wondered how long it would take for the Malkatans to return now that a bonfire was effectively announcing that Humans were still alive down here in the ruins of San Francisco. After staring up into the night sky awed as usual by its beauty, his thoughts naturally turned to Beverly and his unborn child, and eventually he walked away from the group.

Now back inside the shuttle the silence was almost welcoming.

"Still nothing?" he asked Worf.

Worf's big shoulders slumped and he finally turned around.

"Nothing," he confirmed. "All communications with Moscow are still down."

Picard nodded and sat down on the floor cross legged. "I'm very sorry to hear that Worf," he said, looking up after a moment. "But there still might be a chance to locate Alexander and your parents. We have to keep trying," he said.

He hadn't said anything to Worf about his own inability to reach his brother Robert and his family in Labarre. Without a means of transport they couldn't find the people they loved on Earth much less escape the planet. "We need a working shuttle, Worf," he said distantly before biting into his apple again. He held the bag up again for Worf to take and then tossed it at him.

Worf caught the bag of food and began sifting through it. Momentarily he stopped abruptly and looked up. "I forgot to go to Data's house," he said, looking as though he wished he hadn't remembered.

Picard frowned, chewing on some kind of biscuit. "Why? I mean why do you have to go there?"

"When I last contacted the runabout, Data asked me to look for his cat..."

Picard raised his eyebrows. "Yes, of course...but I would have thought he would have brought along—um-" he hesitated unsure of the cat's name.

"Spot," said Worf grumpily. "I believe he misjudged how long he would be away from Earth. And of course he did not expect the Malkatans to attack. But now it has been days…I would be surprised if the animal is even alive," he added darkly.

Picard shook his head. "Oh, I don't know...cats are highly resourceful-or so I've heard."

"I will go there tomorrow morning," said Worf, then he fell  
silent as they resumed eating.

"See if you can use your communicator to call me here in the shuttle," suggested Picard. "It's worth a try." Worf nodded and took a big drink of water.

"Captain," Worf said after a time.

Picard glanced up from his seat on the floor. He had been deep in thought. "Hmm?"

"You mentioned a shuttle. Do you think we will be able to repair this one?"

Picard shrugged. "We'd need a new propulsion system. The Malkatans shot this one right out of the air with a direct hit to the nacelles. There might be other ships around that are less damaged. And I intend on searching for one tomorrow," he added, lying down on his back with his jacket as a pillow.

"May I ask what you intend to do once you have a shuttle, Captain?"

Picard was silent for a few more moments. "I have an idea, Worf, but I want to get this shuttle up and working first, before I elaborate further."

"Do you intend on leaving the planet?"

Picard sighed. "I'm very conflicted…part of me wants to stay and fight the Malkatans. But I learned something recently, Worf, something that makes me desperate to get off this planet. Of course, you are welcome to come with me. But whatever happens, Worf, I want to help you find your son first."

"Thank you, sir" Worf said, sounding grateful. "And we should try and find your family as well…your family in France." Unceremoniously Worf dropped down and stretched out on the floor. He grumbled something in Klingon, which Picard understood to be some kind of complaint about the lack of space inside the shuttle.

Picard turned off the lantern. He didn't want to think too much about his family home because he feared the worst. "Let's get our transportation situation figured out first," he said quietly. He stared into the darkness for a few minutes before sitting up suddenly. "Worf?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Could I ask you a personal question?"

Worf was surprised. The Captain rarely spoke of personal matters. "Yes."

"When you found out about Alexander; that you had a son…what was your first reaction?"

"I was…shocked, perhaps I was also angry. I did not know that K'Ehleyr had been pregnant, and I did not know why she kept the child a secret from me. But, once I came to understand her motivations… and overcame some of my own insecurities, afterwards I was very proud."

"I see," Picard said quietly, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"Of course," said Worf, "I still did not feel capable of taking care of the boy—which is why he is here on Earth with my parents," he said beginning to sound guilty. Picard regretted dredging up a subject which was still obviously very difficult for Worf. The Klingon fell silent for a few more moments before asking, "May I ask why you are inquiring sir?"

Picard took a deep breath. "I recently learned that I am to be a father," he said.

"MajQa (well done)!" exclaimed Worf, propping himself up on his elbow.

Picard smiled. "Thank you, Worf."

Worf stared at him with an intensity he could feel even in the darkness. "You just learned that you have a child?"

"Doctor Crusher…Beverly is pregnant. She just told me."

He could register Worf's confusion. "Is she well?"

"Yes, she seems to be fine. But I want to see her as soon as possible. In fact I feel compelled to see her."

"Of course," Worf agreed. "But I—I suppose that I did not realize that you and she…." He suddenly slapped his palms together loudly.

Despite his embarrassment, Picard laughed amused by Worf's straightforward representation of sex, but then sobered quickly. "We didn't. But…as you know, she traveled into the past. And it seems that my past self, the Picard of 2355 is the father."

"That means that _you_ are the father, sir."

"Does it? I mean of course genetically he and I are identical. But are we the same person?"

"Of course. He is you, as you were in the past."

"But why would she—I mean I have been trying to think about how it must have happened, and I—"

"Sir," said Worf. "It is best that you do not think about her encounter with your past self. It is not as important as the honor which she has now bestowed on you."

"Honor?"

"Yes. She has chosen you to be the child's father. She did not have to tell you. She did not even have to keep the child, and you would never have known. Instead, she told you. She has selected you as her mate."

"Well when you put it that way, it really sounds quite wonderful," admitted Picard.

"Yes."

Picard lay back down and sighed. "Any luck reaching the runabout again?"

"No…I am sorry, Captain."

He grunted and shifted, turning over on his side. "It's alright, I'll try again tomorrow."

* * *

 **The next morning…**

It was unusually hot inside the shuttle that morning. He blinked sweat out of his eyes, as he fiddled with the wiring underneath the communications panel. He wished Geordi was here to guide him through it, but out of necessity he had become quite adept at learning the ins and outs of the hardware in this shuttle. Suddenly the panel beeped, indicating long range capacity was active once more. Almost immediately he heard another chirp as a call came in and he nearly bumped his head, pulling himself up and into the seat. His excitement ebbed somewhat when he heard Worf's voice on the other end. But at least he had been able to connect to the shuttle.

"Worf to Picard…come in sir."

"Picard here. Go ahead."

"Sir, I am at Data's house. I found Spot…and something else sir."

"Well? Don't keep me in suspense, my friend."

"Before he left Earth, Geordi built a hover bike with an extremely powerful engine. He left the bike at Data's house and it is still intact, despite the attack."

Picard broke into a smile. "You think we can replace the shuttle's propulsion system with Geordi's homemade engine?"

"It is possible."

"Good, I'll keep trying to reach the runabout. We can have Geordi walk us through the installation." _And I can talk to Beverly again_ , he thought.

"Even if it works, it won't get us far, sir…but it might work."

Picard's smile widened. "All we need to do is to get as far as space dock, Worf. And then we'll have the saucer section back."

* * *

 **About an hour later…**

"Beverly…hello." Picard smiled into the monitor, as the grainy image of Beverly Crusher gradually cleared and sharped.

"Jean-Luc," she held her hand to her chest. " _Oh_ , I am so glad to hear from you. I was so worried by that explosion, and the way our call ended…what happened, are you alright? Are you hurt?" she was talking so quickly, he put out his hand to try and reassure her as best he could from so far away.

"Yes, yes, I am fine. Worf is alright too," he said trying to sound upbeat. "We found that the cafeteria in the basement of Starfleet Medical was primarily intact. So we've been able to feed several hundred people for a few days so far at least. And we've even found some more survivors in the last day."

She laughed. "That's wonderful. I bet no one has been so happy to eat hospital cafeteria food as they are now."

"Yes, that is very true," he agreed laughing. "Things here are very hard," he admitted, his smile finally wavering a little bit. Her image flickered on the screen, and the thought that they might be disconnected urged him on. "But I just wanted to see how you are feeling. Are you well?" he asked both nervous and hopeful.

She nodded emphatically. "Yes…it's really day to day, but I feel very strong."

He leaned forward. "What about the baby? Can you tell me anything at this stage? The baby is alright, isn't she…or he-I mean I don't know if—"

"Do you want to know the gender of the baby, Jean-Luc?"

He opened his mouth slightly. "No," he said, surprising himself that he felt so strongly about the subject. "No, I would like to wait until we see each other. I'm just happy that the baby is healthy. Is that alright?"

She nodded. "Of course. Let's just refer to the baby as 'the baby' right now and save ourselves some stress, okay?"

He smiled. "Alright."

"Jean-Luc… I have to say it means so much to me the way you have been willing to accept the situation."

"Situation?"

"Well…I mean I'm sure that you have questions. But you haven't really asked me how—"

He held up his hand, beginning to feel uncomfortable. "It's alright, Beverly. I don't need to know the details."

"But…if I ever wanted—or felt I needed to tell you, Jean-Luc, would you listen?"

He forced a smile, not completely sure why the idea of her sleeping with his former self bothered him so much. Was it simply the fact that he hadn't been there, or was it something more? "Of course, I will listen to anything you want to tell me. I just…it's difficult for me to think of you…with him. So I would rather not think about it." He smiled quickly again and then looked away from the screen.

"Jean-Luc…I know it must be difficult. But I was with you, can't you see?"

He sighed and looked down at his hands before offering her a faint smile. "I think it would be better for us to discuss this in person," he said, eager to change the subject. "But…I also wanted to tell you that I have a plan to get off Earth and reunite with you. And I think it might work."

She brightened. "Oh? Well then tell me all about it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

 **The Aldrin**

"Helm, how long before we reach the Maxia Zeta system?"

" _At our current rate of warp eight, four hours, Captain. Any further orders, sir_?"

"No…not right now." Riker turned back to the star chart he was studying, which hovered above the desk in his office. He could see all of the active ship traffic crisscrossing the sector they were passing through, and three sectors away in Maxia. So far, things appeared quiet, but he could not help but feel a growing unease in his gut. Something wasn't right. His door chime beeped.

"Come in," Riker called out, looking up as Commander Obi stepped into the room. He looked almost cautious as he approached. Riker turned back to viewing the chart. "What is it Commander? Any word from the runabout?"

"No, Captain. They've gone silent for some reason."

Riker tapped his fingers on the desk. The runabout was unreachable. Not good.

Obi stopped in front of Riker's desk and placed his hands behind his back. "Sir, have you read the latest crew psych reports from Counselor Havens?"

Riker leaned back in his chair. "Yes."

"I'm concerned sir. Several crew members have reported to the Counselor and Chief Medical Officer for episodes of physical discomfort, nausea, and anxiety. Medical staff says it's likely there have been a number of other low-level episodes which have gone unreported. It's being described as 'temporal uneasiness'."

"They're not the only ones, Commander," said Riker heavily. "I feel uneasy. I'm sure the whole crew feels uneasy. Look what we've been through."

"But sir, what if there is something else to what they're feeling. You announced that our timeline changed from the correct one when the Ferengi interfered with events from the past. What if…what if some of us don't belong here anymore?"

Riker sighed and shook his head. "I also read the CMO's follow-up report, Obi, and Dr. Sai has chalked most of these incidents up to stress. But, as you know all five of these crew members are currently being monitored in sick bay. If it's anything more than stress, we'll catch it."

"Sir, you have to admit it's at the very least disconcerting to think that if you didn't exist in another timeline—or died in another timeline, that it is possible that you will simply disappear when we return to the correct timeline."

Riker looked squarely at his first officer. "You have a point, Obi. But that doesn't change the fact that without the Ferengi's meddling, we wouldn't be dealing with a Malkatan invasion. They wouldn't have mixed our technology with an alien graviton snare in what has turned out to be a devastating weapons arsenal."

Obi straightened. "You don't have to convince me again sir. Of course I agree. The timeline has to be corrected for the greater good. No question about that."

Riker sighed again. "I know you're only doing your duty, Commander; looking out for this crew." He hesitated. "You haven't personally felt any of this…temporal uneasiness have you, Patrick? Any kind of…shifting?"

Obi shook his head. "No sir."

Riker smiled. "Good." He gestured for Obi to sit down and then both men shifted their gaze to the star chart. As they watched a blip appeared, moving quickly toward the Maxia system from the opposite direction as the _Aldrin_. Riker swore under his breath. "Computer magnify at 321 mark 65." The blip grew and it was clear now that it was a ship.

"Computer, identify designation, speed, and approximate destination of the vessel traveling closest to the Captain's last stated coordinates," Commander Obi said.

"The vessel is Ferengi, marauder class, traveling at warp nine toward the Maxia Zeta system."

Riker slammed his hand on the desk in front of him. "Helm! Increase speed to warp nine point eight."

 _"_ _Aye sir. We will arrive at Maxia in one hour and thirteen minutes."_

Obi and Riker stood up with the same sense of urgency. "Even at maximum warp sir, they'll beat us there by at least half an hour," said Obi.

"Then we've got to try harder to make contact with the runabout. We've got to warn them."

* * *

 **Meanwhile on Board the Runabout in the Maxia Zeta System…**

"The unidentified Ferengi marauder will enter the Maxia system in less than one hour," Geordi reported from the pilot's seat, both feeling and sounding completely gloomy.

"Doctor, as long as we continue in silent running mode, Captain Riker will be unable to contact us," Data added from the navigation center.

Beverly Crusher walked up behind Data and LaForge. "You said it yourself, Data, shutting down our communication arrays will make it harder for the Ferengi's sensors to track us."

"At least until they enter the Maxia system with us," said LaForge. "And then we're sitting ducks."

"Hardly," Troi chimed in. "You've moved us away from our old position to behind this asteroid…and we still have phasers after all. Let's not count ourselves out so soon, Geordi."

"Sorry…it's just that our chances against a Ferengi Marauder aren't good. I'm just trying to be realistic," he said, his usual upbeat demeanor notably absent.

"Geordi's right, Mom," said Wesley, fiddling with the replicated neutralizer from a nearby table. It was nearly like the one his mother had brought into the past to give to Captain Picard. "I think we should make a run for it." He hit the switch on his small graviton generator and began his experiment again.

"That will only make it harder for Will to find us. Besides, we don't know that this isn't Brom returning to deliver some more information. Everyone is right to be suspicious, but we can't know until they arrive. We're not leaving, and that's final," Beverly said stiffly.

Absently her hand dropped to her stomach and smoothed over it gently. She had checked the baby's vitals earlier that day. The baby resembled a fetus now, not an embryo as it should have. It should also have been much too early to tell the gender of the baby, but her pregnancy was more advanced than it should have been. She told herself that the baby was fine, and that was what was important. But in truth she was very unsettled by the speed at which the baby's development was proceeding.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

* * *

 **Earth**

Later that morning, Worf showed up on the hover bike and as he maneuvered into the survivors' camp Picard could see he was operating it more carefully than one would have expected from a Klingon. Several of the civilians gathered around murmuring. Any means of transportation besides feet were currently in demand, and he and Worf had become something of a curiosity to many of the civilians after they had killed the Malkatan.

"Is the engine weaker than you thought or are you going slowly on purpose?" Picard strolled forward. It was turning out to be a rather warm day and as the sun shone down on him he couldn't help but have an improved mood after talking with Beverly that morning.

Picard squinted in the sunlight as Worf slowed to a stop in front of him. His eyes fell on an orange-striped feline head that was sticking out of the top of Worf's backpack. Worf had several scratches on his face and didn't look very pleased. He stopped the bike next to Picard. "The animal attacked me…several times," he said darkly. "The faster I proceeded on the vehicle, the more violent she became," he said getting off the bike.

"She's no doubt been traumatized Worf," Picard sympathetically. The cat peeked out at him.

"Very well," said Worf starting to hand the backpack to Picard. "Since you believe you relate so well to cats _you_ may take her."

Picard shrugged, but as he walked forward it hissed out at him. "No thank you," he said quickly, taking a step backward.

Worf glowered at him. "If you cannot care for a cat, how do you expect to be a parent?" he asked seriously.

Picard shook his head. "Nice try Worf, but I think I am safe in presuming that my child won't have razor sharp claws and teeth."

Worf frowned. "Yes, for a moment I forgot that Klingon and human young develop differently." He knelt down opening the backpack, and the cat scampered away without a second look back.

"Data will be disappointed if we lose his cat, Worf," said Picard staring after Spot. "But then again" he added slowly. "He doesn't actually _have_ real feelings, does he?"

" _No_ ," agreed Worf.

Picard nodded curtly. "Well…we shall see if she returns then; because I have no intention of chasing that cat through the ruins of San Francisco." He glanced at Worf. "Let's get Geordi's engine out of this bike, and then we'll contact the runabout again."

"You were able to reach them this morning?" Worf asked.

Picard nodded. "Yes. They seem in good spirits. They're waiting for Commander-for _Captain_ Riker's ship to meet up with them, at which point they can simply dock the runabout inside the _Aldrin_." He smiled to himself, glad that Beverly and the others would be safer once that happened.

"And then we intend to meet up with them, sir?"

Picard took a deep breath in and out and patted the side of the bike. "That's the idea. Come on," he said. "Let's get to it," he said taking hold of the bike.

"Hey, what are your plans with that bike?"

Picard and Worf turned to look behind them with surprised expressions. Picard's expression quickly turned to one of irritation. It was the young man who had challenged his authority one evening after the Malkatan attack.

"I _said_ what are you doing with that bike? Why so secretive?"

Picard glared back at the man. He had no time or patience for this nonsense. "This bike happens to belong to a friend of mine," Picard said. "And my plans are none of your business." The fact was he wouldn't mind telling these people his plans once he had some real idea if the operation would even work. But until then, they were just getting in his way.

"What makes you the expert on everything?" the man questioned, raising his voice. He had just the kind of nasal tenor that Picard couldn't stand.

Worf pointed at the Captain. "This is Captain Picard. You would be _wise_ to listen to him," he rumbled at the man.

"Captain _who_? It's Starfleet that got us into this mess with all of its military posturing. Well never even heard of you, but you're _no one_ now," he said making sure he projected his words to all who listened. "You're just like the rest of us, _Mister_ Picard. So stop trying to play the hero," snarled the man.

Worf stepped toward the much smaller man, but Picard but a restraining hand on his arm. "No Worf…he's right. My rank means nothing anymore," he said quietly. "Come along," he said resuming his walk toward the shuttle.

The man followed them. "I want to know what you're up to, Picard. Are you building some kind of bomb? Because we don't need to antagonize the Malkatans—"

Picard whirled around. "What is your name?" he demanded in his most commanding voice.

The man flinched. "William Stafford—"

"Well, _Mister_ Stafford, let me go about my business without interference, and I assure you, that I will let everyone here know just what I am 'up to' soon enough."

* * *

 _ **The Aldrin**_

Patrick Obi waited outside Doctor Mayer's quarters. He had no idea why she had called him a few moments earlier. After a moment's more hesitation he reached out and tapped the door panel.

"Come in," called Mayer's voice through the intercom.

"Commander Obi," she greeted him as he walked in to her quarters. She remained seated in the dark, but her fine features were illuminated from the light streaming in from the window.

He stood still, suddenly wary. "What can I do for you, Doctor?"

She leaned forward. "Lights, fifty percent," she said and the lights were enhanced somewhat but it was still rather dark. She smiled up at him. On the table in front of her was a bottle of some amber colored liquid and two glasses. "Would you like a drink?" she asked him, offering another smile.

Patrick smiled back and sat down across from her slowly. "Sure," he agreed. "Thank you," he said noting the visible tremor in her hands as she poured him a glass and handed it to him. Clearly she had started drinking without him.

"Commander—may I call you Patrick?"

He laughed. "Of course," he said easily settling back into the chair.

"You have a beautiful smile," she observed.

His smile widened. "You've heard that one before," she said watching him as she took a sip of her drink.

He leaned back in the chair. "It's always nice to hear," he allowed. "Especially from such a beautiful woman." He smile faded. "So, what can I do for you?" he asked again.

She sat forward cradling her drink as she looked down into it. "I—I've been having these episodes, I guess you could call them. It's as though I'm here…but I'm not."

He took a sip from his drink before setting it down carefully. He leaned toward her. "Doctor—"

"I thought we were on a first name basis," she said quickly. She was a little tipsy—and she was also flirting with him he knew. But he still didn't know why, or what she wanted. She fixed him with her gaze. "Was I wrong?"

"Okay…Johanna. I'm sure that whatever you've experienced is a very natural response related to learning about the changed timeline. Others have experienced it."

Her eyes took on a faraway look. "It's so horrible. I keep seeing this fire…but it's as though I'm in it—inside a memory that never happened. And I know where it is. It was my brother's engineering laboratory. He was a good deal older than me. When I was just a teenager he and my mother died in a terrible accident. My father was never the same. He became violent, abusive…a drunk. It was as though he blamed me for their deaths. I became immersed in my robotics research. My only saving grace was when he would leave for months on deep space missions. We simply couldn't live together." She blinked and put the glass down shakily. "Meanwhile I followed in my brother's footsteps, Patrick. In fact I was better than he was. I could do things with robotics that the best Starfleet engineers hadn't even contemplated yet—engineers like my father. And he knew it," she added with a small bitter smile.

She picked up the glass again shakily and drained it. "One night…before he went on his final deep space mission he got so drunk he began throwing things. He warned me; he said if I didn't give up my 'hobby' as he called it, he would come back and burn my laboratory—he said 'I'll burn it all…and I don't care if you're in it!'"

She looked at Obi almost triumphantly. "But he never got the chance. You see, he never returned from that deep space mission."

Obi suddenly took her trembling hand in his. "My God, Johanna, your father was part of the _Stargazer_ crew!"

She nodded and looked down at her hand in his, as if human affection was nearly alien to her. And now after hearing her story, he could understand why. Suddenly she gripped his hand passionately. "I keep thinking, Patrick…in the real timeline, if the _Stargazer_ was never captured by the Malkatans-did he come back and burn my laboratory? Did he kill me just as he promised? And so you see why I don't want things to change. What if I don't even _exist_ , Patrick?" Her eyes seemed to stare through him. If she was capable of crying she probably had forgotten how many years ago.

Obi walked around the coffee table and bent down putting his arm around her shoulders. "You can't be certain, Johanna. Maybe you're just having a horrible reaction to what the Captain told us. You have to be strong."

"I don't know if I can do that anymore, Patrick. I've been strong for so long," she said. She reached up and touched his face and he enfolded her in his arms.

"It will be alright," he said, unsure if that was really true.

* * *

 **Earth**

" _Goddammit,_ " Picard roared from underneath the communications console. "I can't get a connection with the runabout Worf. I've got everything as it should be, but I can't get a signal." He pushed himself out from under the console, tired and frustrated.

Worf tossed a hyper spanner onto the deck, and straightened from his position inside the floor of the shuttlecraft. His bushy eyebrows knitted together. "I do not think we need LaForge's guidance after all, Captain. Between the two of us, we should be able to finish the installation by tomorrow morning."

"That's not what I meant." He was desperate to talk to Beverly again before he attempted to leave the planet. He needed to know that she and the baby were alright. Picard leaned against the console suddenly feeling dizzy. "Aaaa!"

"Captain!" Worf watched as Picard's lower half began to fade from existence. Within seconds, he was in solid form again, but seemed disoriented and was breathing hard.

"I'm—I'm alright," he assured Worf.

"Sir…how long has this been happening to you?"

Picard shook his head, seeming unsure. "Since before you and I reunited, Worf. I told Beverly about it…but…please don't mention it to her again. I don't want to worry her." _Am I really here?_ He slowly opened his eyes and turned to Worf. "This must be what I went through before I disappeared that first time…it's happening to me again isn't it Worf? The timeline isn't right."

Worf looked concerned. "I do not know, Captain."

Picard took a drink of water and then walked over and dropped down into the hold next to Worf. "It's going to do me no good to dwell on it, Worf. If we work through the night, you are correct, we should be able to finish."

"Yes, Captain."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

 **2367 About three months ago…**

 _He rolled underneath her on her narrow couch, and her mouth pressed into his so earnestly that he could feel the hard edge of the couch biting into the back of his neck. It was wonderful and awkward, but mostly it was just wonderful. He had never felt her body in this way, and he was as impressed by the strength of her arms and legs as he was awed by how soft she was in all of the places he had never dared gaze at for too long; but that he had always longed to touch. But it was the sounds she made, particularly those of her breathing that threatened to send him over the edge._

 _Now that they had taken the next step, well now that they had tripped into the next step really—here they were on her couch after an admittedly rushed dinner. They were still wearing their clothes and although he ached for her to touch him, he was embarrassed at how aroused he was already, like some kind of teenager who couldn't control himself. He didn't want to give her the impression that this is how he would always be. He did have control; he was experienced, although maybe a little out of practice. But even if he had been with a woman recently he had a feeling this would still feel new._

 _If she noticed she didn't seem to mind at all. Instead his arousal seemed to be matched by her own, and she was in the act of pulling her shirt up over her head when it happened again. He began to phase, and his hands which had been firmly planted on her upper thighs simply disappeared from view. He cried out in discomfort and in fear that she would realize what was happening. Her shirt was halfway over her head, when his hands disappeared and then reappeared, as she pulled it back down and stared at him with a startled expression. Her tousled hair and puzzled expression only made her more beautiful. "What? Are you okay?" She put her hands on his chest and shifted her weight. "Did I hurt you?" she asked softly. "I didn't mean to." Leaning down to kiss him again, she put her palm underneath his shirt, and traced her finger beneath his navel as his feet began to tingle as they did when his lower body was about to phase out of existence. He jumped. "No," he said hastily. "No you didn't hurt me…but, but I have to go!" To her obvious shock, he lifted her off of his lap, and stumbled to his knees on the floor. She fell back against the side of the couch and ran her hand through her hair with a legitimately stunned expression._

 _"_ _What the hell is_ _ **wrong**_ _with you?" she demanded, watching him as he struggled to his feet and frantically pulled on his boots. He turned away from her both out of embarrassment and because he felt the dizziness threatening to overcome him._

 _"_ _I—I'm sorry, Beverly," he said pulling on his light jacket._

 _"_ _Are we going too fast?" she asked, getting up from the couch and approaching him. "It's alright, Jean-Luc… just tell me."_

 _He shook his head and backed toward the door. "I don't feel very well…I'm very sorry, but I have to go."_

 _She adjusted her shirt and folded her arms over her chest self-consciously. Things had been going so well and now he looked like he was going to throw up. Not the reaction she had been looking for. She bit her bottom lip and tried to make eye contact with him. "Well, will you at least stay so we can talk about this?" He wouldn't look at her._

 _"_ _I have to go…."_

Picard woke with a whimpering gasp in the early hours of the morning and it was still pitch black. His cheek was pressed into the deck of the shuttle craft in a smoky pool of sweat. He pushed himself up to a sitting position. Worf had fallen asleep sitting up against the wall. They had finished the engine installation and then fallen asleep from exhaustion.

He hadn't remembered until now what had happened between him and Beverly. He shouldn't have retreated from her that day. He should have stayed and told her everything. Instead he was lying in a pool of his own sweat dreaming of something that had happened to him literally in another lifetime. And now, he had to get to her. If it was the last thing he did before he disappeared again, he _had_ to see her again.

* * *

 **2355 Malkatan Base**

"I'm not familiar with these controls," Picard mumbled, his eyes roving around the cramped Ferengi shuttle. He ran his hands over the controls, unsure of everything he touched. Vigo bent down beside him and pointed at an oddly shaped lever. "I think this must be thrust…."

"This should be pitch and yaw then," said Picard, still not so sure as he touched a blue control in front of him and two white ones on either side of him.

The vessel suddenly rumbled underneath their feet as Commander Zev punched a control on the side of the wall. She shrugged. "It seems that was the main engine," she the rumble became a steady thrumming.

"Good," said Picard, and pulled the neutralizer out of his pocket. He wasn't certain how it was supposed to work, but to get into the Singularity Net in which the _Stargazer_ was still floating above the planet, they'd need to use it to get through in order to dock with their ship, and then they would need to use it again to escape in the _Stargazer_. So they weren't out of the woods yet. But Beverly had told him it would work. And he believed her.

He reached up and attached the neutralizer to the inside of the cockpit. It had some kind of magnetic property that allowed it to cling to the windshield. He activated it the way Beverly had shown him, and all the while he could feel Vigo watching him suspiciously.

"Where did you find that?" Vigo asked slipping into a seat behind him. Picard tensed. His instinct told him not to trust his tactical officer. The man was on the verge of cracking that much was clear. But after what Vigo had seen, Picard couldn't truly fault him.

"I'll tell you later," Picard said gruffly. He tried to concentrate on the alien controls, trying to force a familiarity that just wasn't there. It would do no good if he crashed the shuttle before reaching the _Stargazer_.

Zev sat down next to him in the co-pilot's chair. "Let's just focus on the mission, Vigo. Then we can talk," she said curtly.

Picard's spirits were lifted along with the shuttle, as it powered up and off of the landing pad. Up above them shimmered a force field of some kind. Hopefully the neutralizer would work on this as well. But as they approached the shield perimeter the shuttle began to vibrate violently.

"We're going to have to blast ourselves out," Picard shouted above the clamor.

"Initializing forward disruptor array," Zev shouted, pushing some buttons near her right arm. "I think," she added.

"Fire then," Picard shouted back at them. The Ferengi weapons were powerful—more powerful than the Malkatan force field and the shuttle slipped through mercifully.

"All clear above and below, Captain. No sign of the Malkatans," said Zev.

"Approaching the stratosphere," Picard announced, giving the thrusters some additional power. He actually broke into a smile as the clouds disappeared and they were greeted by the blackness of space. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest from the exhilaration. He slowed his breathing down as much as possible reminding himself that they were still not safe yet.

An alarm started to sound inside the shuttle and an orange glow bathed them. "Captain, reading a gravitational flux dead ahead," Vigo shouted.

"That's the Singularity Net," answered Picard. "Our ship is in there. Maintaining heading."

"Thirty seconds until intercept," said Zev.

He glanced up at the neutralizer. It was still activated by the looks of it, but he had no idea what to expect. "Get ready, brace for impact," he warned his tiny crew.

"Five seconds," said Zev. As they entered the Singularity Net everything inside the shuttle appeared to bend. And then in an instant they were through. Picard nearly fell out of his chair with exhilaration at the sight of the _Stargazer_ floating like a ghost inside the black envelope of the Net.

"Eight hundred meters and closing," said Zev, her voice almost a whisper.

"How are we going to get in?" Vigo suddenly demanded. "There's no one to let us in."

Picard licked his dry lips. He'd given it some thought. There weren't many ways to get in without violence unless…unless the _Stargazer's_ computer was awake and running.

"Find the communications array," he snapped. Zev and Vigo worked as quickly as possible to locate the right controls.

"I think this is it, sir," said Vigo nervously. "Activating," he said.

"Establish a link with the _Stargazer_."

"Aye sir, trying," said Vigo, his erratic behavior calming to a degree as his hands moved quickly over the foreign controls. "Link is up, sir," he confirmed after a minute or two.

"Nice work, Vigo," he said turning to the man with a smile. "Computer, this is Captain Jean-Luc Picard," he said.

" _Acknowledged_ ," said the computer immediately.

"Computer, open the after shuttle bay doors. Standard docking procedures."

" _Sensors read an unidentified vessel, approaching Captain,"_ said the computer.

"Scan the unidentified ship," said Picard. "There are three life forms. Captain Picard, Commander Zev, and Lieutenant Vigo," he said.

" _Scanning,_ " said the computer. " _Welcome aboard, Captain,"_ the computer said as the shuttle bay doors opened slowly in front of them. Relief flooded through the tense muscles of his body and he relaxed into the chair. Zev said a prayer in Andorian and behind them Vigo let out a choked sob.

"We're home," Picard said quietly. He closed his eyes briefly as the tractor beam took hold of them gently and guided them into the docking bay. _Thank you Beverly._


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **The** ** _Aldrin_** **…**

" _Commander Obi to the bridge_ ," came Riker's voice through the comm. System. " _We're approaching the Maxia system shortly."_

 _"_ On my way, Captain."

Obi stood up, still holding on to Doctor Johanna Mayer's hand. They had been sitting silently on the couch in her living room. There was something between them, Obi knew, but he had to be careful. His loyalties were first and foremost to Captain Riker and the crew. But something about what Johanna had said about not being in the right time had stayed with him. Could it be possible that she had died in the prior timeline? That she had reappeared fully formed in this one as though nothing had changed? If Picard could disappear and everyone could forget him, why couldn't something similar have happened to Mayer?

"Thank you Patrick," she said softly, looking up at him. "It's been a long time since anyone was truly kind to me," she said as she let go of his hand. "But I know you have to go."

He nodded, backing away toward the door. "You'll be alright?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded to him. It wasn't until he left that she pulled the disruptor from its hiding place under the couch. She examined it closely, before tucking it into her boot. As she always did…she would do what was needed in order to survive.

"Everything alright?" Riker eyed his first officer as he strode onto the bridge. The usually confident Obi looked worried.

"Yes sir," said the young man, sitting down beside Riker.

"Good. Because we're about to get into the thick of it. Time before we intercept the Ferengi vessel?" he asked.

"Twenty minutes," said Lieutenant Kashirin from behind him tactical.

Riker and Obi looked at each other. It wouldn't be enough time.

"Shields up. Weapons at the ready," ordered Riker.

* * *

 **Meanwhile on Board the Runabout…**

"They've spotted us," said Geordi, whirling around in his chair, before turning back quickly to tap at his console.

"Battle stations," Data said. Troi, Crusher and Wesley quickly moved to their seats and strapped themselves into place.

"Shields up," Crusher said, fastening her emergency harness.

"Shields activated," reported Data.

The brown crescent shaped Ferengi ship suddenly took up the entire view screen.

"That's not Brom's ship," said Geordi tightly.

Beverly kept her voice steady. "Hold our position. Hail them."

"Hailing frequencies open sir," said Data.

"Ferengi vessel, what is your business in Federation territory?" Beverly questioned.

Bok's image flickered before forming on the view screen. "Remember me?"

"Yes," said Beverly. "And I asked you a question, Daimon Bok."

"Presumptuous female!" he seethed. "If you remember me, then you know my business. My business is to destroy Captain Picard at any cost."

Beverly paused. "Captain Picard is dead." Troi glanced at her, hiding her shock at this unexpected tactic. "You've already seen to that," said Beverly coldly.

"I don't believe you, woman. What I believe is that you have, with the aid of my idiotic son traveled back in time and attempted to undo what must be, if Picard is to die in the past. And I cannot have that," he added.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Bok," Beverly said.

Bok grinned. "Well then it is a good thing I don't need any information from you. The only thing I want you to know, is that you are about to _die_." He nodded to someone off screen, and then threw his arm down fiercely toward the screen. "Fire all weapons!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **2367 Earth**

"Captain, I almost cannot believe it…but this shuttle is now operational," said Worf.

Picard grinned, punching Worf in the shoulder as they stared at the lit navigational console. "You see, Worf? You see what hard work, ingenuity and the power of will can accomplish?"

Worf turned to frown up at Picard from his seat at the console. "Captain, I mean no disrespect but even human optimism will not get this shuttle as far as Earth's moon…."

Picard smiled even wider. "Worf…we're not going to the moon. We're going to space dock. And once we're at space dock, we'll take the saucer section."

"Given the attacks…we cannot be certain the saucer section is even operational, Captain."

"Mr. Worf, I am beginning to think I am keeping you around mainly to keep me grounded in reality. Since when did I become so hopelessly optimistic?"

"Since you learned you are in the process of producing offspring, sir."

Picard looked down at Worf quizzically. "Worf, you have quite a way with words…and I am sort of glad that I never noticed before."

"Humph," said Worf, getting up from his seat. "Sir, all joking aside…."

Picard raised an eyebrow. "There was a joke somewhere in there?"

Worf shifted his feet. "Sir…we must let the other survivors know about your plan. And we must also discuss how best to locate our family members."

Picard nodded with a sigh. "Yes, you're quite right."

* * *

 **2367 Maxia**

"Evasive maneuvers!" Beverly shouted.

"I'm on it," LaForge reported. "Hang on!"

"Marauder is in pursuit," Data stated. "They are continuing to fire on us, but our shields are holding."

"Well…keep them off our backs," Geordi snapped.

"Gladly," said Data. "Firing aft phasers," he reported.

"They seem awfully close," Beverly said looking at the navigational screen from where she Deanna and Wesley were seated. The Ferengi ship loomed, filling the view screen.

"Enemy ship is closing to within 600 meters," Data confirmed calmly. "We are within range of their tractor beam."

"Sirs! I recommend we put on environmental suits. Ferengi have been known to board damaged vessels and we stand a better chance if they try to depressurize the hold," said Wesley, jumping to his feet.

Beverly nodded and started to undo her safety harness, but Troi put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "You stay here, I'll help him." Deanna and Wesley took off running for the supply hold before Beverly could stop them. She sat back down and fixed her eyes on the screen again as the ship shook with another disruptor blast.

"I've got a torpedo bay with no torpedoes," Geordi griped.

"What about the asteroid you hid us behind before, Geordi?" Beverly traced her finger on the screen, and then grabbed the edge of the table as the ship shook again. "It's at…221 mark 33. We'll have to go backwards, but…."

"It's worth a try," LaForge agreed. "Hold on." The belly of the runabout was exposed briefly as LaForge took the ship up into a loop that brought them back over the top of the enormous asteroid. The ship shook and shuddered as the Ferengi fired on them, but he was able to execute the maneuver bringing the ship back into cover.

"Hurry, it's not going to take them long to find us," Wesley warned, helping his mother into her space suit. He looked over at Data. "Sorry, Data, there were only four space suits."

"That is quite alright, Wesley. As you know, I do not require protection from the vacuum of space," Data responded calmly as he manned the ship's weapons.

Deanna sat back down locking her helmet into place. "Oh how I detest space suits," she murmured, fogging up the faceplate.

Geordi slowed the ship's speed and brought it underneath the shadow of the giant asteroid, letting the ship hover in place. He turned around in his seat, grabbing the suit Wesley threw him. "I have an idea," he said shoving his legs into the suit. "They're five times faster than we are, we're out-gunned—"

"But we are not outsmarted, Geordi," Data pointed out.

"I'm still not hearing your _idea_ Geordi," Deanna intoned, sounding hollow and quite critical from inside her helmet.

LaForge scowled as he lowered a helmet onto his own head. "Data, do we have anything on board powerful enough to blow a couple of holes in an asteroid?"

"Yeah, like a concussive charge!" said Wesley excitedly. Everyone turned to look at Data.

Data nodded. "We do have a case of twelve concussive charges in the small weapons hold. However, as Counselor Troi mentioned, we are waiting to hear your idea, Geordi," he said deliberately.

"Okay, okay! Look," said LaForge. "We set all of the charges on the underside of the asteroid. We get their attention…then as they approach we slip underneath and out the other side."

"We just need some way to lure them down," agreed Troi.

"Yep. And then when the Ferengi ship comes down, we set off the charges and… bam!"

"And by 'bam' you mean exactly what…?" Beverly opened her palms expectantly.

"'Bam'," interjected Data. "A loud sound…a sudden impact…an unexpected occurrence-"

"Yeah, that one, Data," LaForge interrupted. "It'll create a diversion at least."

"Geordi, it'll be a good diversion, but we are going to need a hell of a lot more than a diversion to defeat Bok," Beverly said. Geordi spread his arms wide and shrugged as if in a silent plea for her to give him a break.

" _Alright_ ," said Beverly finally. "How do we do it?"

"We need to set the charges…then we can set them off remotely from a safe distance," said Wesley.

"I will do it," said Data. "I require no space suit, and can operate in a vacuum with minimal risk."

Beverly nodded. "Let's do it then."

* * *

 **2355 Inside the Singularity Net**

Their joy at reaching the _Stargazer_ was short-lived. As soon as Picard, Zev and Vigo were on board their ship again, the unspeakable horror of what they had just experienced began to settle in. All three crewmembers felt it; and it threatened to crush their already damaged spirits. The worst part was the silence that greeted them. They were suddenly reminded that they were the lone survivors of their capture by the Malkatans, and there was no escape from that reality. They all pushed on in silence until they reached the Stargazer bridge.

But there was something else. The disorientation they had felt down on the Malkatan base returned full force now that they were again directly inside the net. It was like a whisper inside each of their skulls. For Picard it was one of immense guilt; for Zev it was one of never-ending sorrow; and for Vigo it was one of undeniable hatred.

When they reached the bridge, Picard turned to Vigo. The man's eyes seemed intent to bore a hole in Picard's head. The hate in his eyes was no longer hidden beneath the surface. It glittered in his pupils as he studied Picard as though searching for a physical weakness.

Picard could sense inside his own confused mind that events were far outside of his control. Still he was in command. He pointed at the tactical station, trying to keep his hand from trembling. He had to keep pull himself together. "Man your post," he barked. Slowly, without taking his eyes off Picard Vigo moved to the station as ordered and activated the tactical panel.

Picard turned to Zev and tossed her the neutralizer. "Commander, can you find a way to link this into the ops station?"

Zev caught the neutralizer and looked down at it curiously in her hand. "Perhaps," she said. She looked up at him again. "What exactly is it supposed to do?" She studied his face. He knew she was looking for an explanation. It wasn't that she distrusted him. But given what they had been through, she needed something concrete to explain how they would get out of this situation. Unfortunately Picard wasn't quite sure himself.

"It…um," he pointed at it and a vision of Beverly floated into his skull. He heard her whispers in his ear, and struggled to maintain his composure.

"Captain?" Zev asked. She watched as Picard's eyes rolled up into his head momentarily, but when she spoke, he focused again, and returned to reality.

"Um," he began again, wiping a hand over his face. "It is supposed to neutralize the effect of the singularity net—the space here that our ship is trapped in," Picard answered. "If we could find a way to project it…we could tie it into a propulsive beam…a reverse tractor beam of sorts," he said in a stronger voice as the new idea gained hold in his own mind.

"Based on what the Malkatans said, this net is some kind of graviton warp field that was used to ensnare our ship," said Zev slowly, still watching Picard. "But I don't understand how such technology could exist… anymore than I understand how this object here is supposed to neutralize it."

"He doesn't understand it either," said Vigo from tactical. "But I am _even_ more curious to know how he came to find this object. Tell us, Captain…did you trade this technology for the lives of our comrades?"

"No!" Picard shouted at his tactical officer. The colors around him on the bridge seemed brighter. It was the effect of the singularity net. He turned slowly as he saw the ghosts of their fallen crewmembers swirling around the bridge. He reached out in confusion and then covered his eyes with his hands.

"What is the matter, Captain?" Vigo shouted down at him. He began to walk away from his station toward Picard. "Is your betrayal beginning to weigh on your conscience?"

"Shut up and return to your post!" Picard screamed at Vigo. Vigo halted but smiled. His eyes were cloudy with the same hallucinatory thoughts that were plaguing Picard.

" _Both_ of you must return to reality if we are to get out of this place alive," shouted Commander Zev, taking Picard by the arm. "Captain, we are all experiencing a sort of…collective psychosis because of the singularity net. Just as it made us see things down on the Malkatan base, we are growing delusional again." She blinked as the Captain's form seemed to undulate in waves in front of her eyes. She strained to focus. "We cannot allow ourselves to be overcome and turn on one another."

"You're right, Zev. She's _right_ ," he said pointing up at Vigo. "Now we have to work together, Vigo," said Picard almost pleadingly.

"I will not collaborate with the man who is responsible for the deaths of my friends!" Vigo shrieked.

" _Shut up_ , Vigo," said Zev, trying to keep hold of her own mind. _Things would be so much easier if Vigo was out of the way_ , she thought darkly. But the Captain was right, they had to work together.

"Captain…I need to know how you came to find this neutralizer mechanism," Zev said with quiet force.

Picard ran a hand over his hair. He knew he had to tell them. But would they think he was crazy? "It was—someone gave it to me," he admitted, knowing that it would not be enough.

Vigo's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Zev took a careful step toward the Captain. "Who?" she heard herself ask.

He took a halting breath in. "B…Beverly Crusher did." _I know she was real._

Zev's expression froze in disbelief.

Vigo let out a shrill laugh. "You see? He is absolutely insane! He is delusional."

Picard looked down at his feet. "I'm not. She came to me."

"Captain," said Zev. "I don't see how that is possible-"

Vigo approached now quickly. "You _fool_ …your obsession with that woman was your undoing, wasn't it? You probably thought some fat Malkatan guard was your best friend's wife. Who knows what you told the Malkatans in your delusional fog?! Who knows what you did…believing it to be her! Meanwhile our comrades were slaughtered, while you dreamed you were screwing Jack's wife. First you let Jack die…and now everyone else is dead because of you!"

"Stop!" Picard shouted, rushing Vigo.

Vigo stepped aside and threw his elbow into Picard's face, breaking the bridge of his nose. As Picard fell he grasped the crook of Vigo's elbow and pulled him down to the floor. He immediately placed his knee on Vigo's windpipe, deciding in that moment that he wanted Vigo to die. But strong arms pulled him backward by the shoulders, as Zev intervened. He coughed as blood from his nose began to stream into his mouth. He held his head back and pulled his shirt up trying to cover his nose and put pressure on it to stop the bleeding.

Dazed he sat down heavily at the ops station, as Zev shook the nearly unconscious Vigo awake again. She said something to him in a quiet but harsh tone and he nodded, stumbling back up to take his post again at tactical. She kept her hand on her phaser as she watched him retreat.

Picard coughed again, and placed the neutralizer on the ops station. Zev moved forward and crouched down beside him. Wordlessly they began to try and link the neutralizer into the forward tractor beam emitter.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **2367 Maxia**

"All set Data?" Wesley's words were spelled out in green on Data's wristband communicator. Out of habit, Data nodded, but of course, with no helmet on he couldn't respond verbally and be heard in the vacuum of space. So he hit a key on the communicator, signaling that he was finished setting the twelve concussive charges. He looked upward at the vast underside of the asteroid checking his work again. He had carefully but quickly placed the charges, as Geordi deftly maneuvered the runabout with Data standing upright out of a hatch at the top of the ship's hull.

Signaling Wesley again, he was slowly lowered back down through the hatchway. It closed over him and there was a long hiss as the inner chamber pressurized. _"Re-pressurization and decontamination sequence complete_ ," said the computer pleasantly after a few seconds.

Data moved through the inner hatch quickly as it opened, and he rejoined the others. He nodded at Wesley, who clapped him on the shoulder as Data returned to his navigator seat. Geordi craned his neck back at Wesley. "Deploy the ion burst out of our tail now, Wes. That should give them an idea where we've been hiding. As soon as they close to an uncomfortable distance we'll pull away and blow the charges."

Wesley's face was taut with concentration as he bent over his science station and typed in code quickly. "Deploying the ion tracer…now." He stepped away and sat back down next to his mother, pulling his safety harness back down over his torso, as she reached for his hand.

"They've seen us," Deanna said tensely as they watched the screen at the center table together. She gripped the sides of the table already bracing for the inevitable impact of Ferengi disruptors again.

The Ferengi ship dipped just below the bottom of the asteroid. Geordi hit the thrusters just enough for the Ferengi to decide to follow them, and when the alien ship slid underneath the giant rock in pursuit, Geordi threw the ship into half impulse. "Now, Data," he yelled.

Data detonated the charges and a cloud of rock and debris blew into the front of Bok's ship.

An outline of the Ferengi ship glowed flashing red on Data's screen. "The Ferengi lowered their deflector shield frequency when we disappeared…and they have sustained unexpected damage to their hull as a result of Geordi's diversionary tactic," he reported.

Geordi swung the runabout around and headed back in the direction of the Ferengi ship, letting off a volley of phaser fire, but as Bok's ship emerged from the cloud of asteroid debris, it fired a plasma torpedo which struck the runabout it its left nacelle.

" _Shit,"_ Geordi declared, as the ship began to careen to the right. Another shot from the Ferengi's disruptor bank sent the runabout spinning out of control.

Beverly closed her eyes tightly, unable to focus on anything as everything spun around them sickeningly. "Jean-Luc," she whispered clutching her abdomen with one hand and Wesley's hand in the other. There was another round of thundering explosions and then she felt the tingling embrace of a transporter beam.

* * *

The **_Aldrin_**

"Fire!"

"Firing torpedoes and phasers, Captain," Lieutenant Kashirin reported from tactical. "Direct hits sir….Sir the Ferengi ship is disabled. They are making no move to retreat…sir they are signaling their surrender! And… they are offering to hand over Daimon Bok to our custody in exchange for 'two million bars of gold pressed latinum, to be paid upon delivery'," she finished reading the message with an air of confusion.

"Why am I not surprised?" Commander Obi murmured shaking his head.

Captain William T. Riker walked up behind Lt. Commander Meeta at ops. "Do we have the crew of the runabout?"

"Yes, sir," Meeta said with a smile, and the breathing through her respirator sounded notably relieved. "They are safely aboard and in transporter room one."

"Beam them directly to sickbay. Obi, you're with me," he said finally able to let himself smile, as they headed for the turbolift.

* * *

Daimon Bok ran through the corridors of his ship, ignoring the panicked screams of his crew, along with a few death threats. He skidded to stop outside of the room, looked around him quickly and then stepped into his quarters. The time travel device stood by his bedside. To the ordinary onlooker who would never expect to see a time travel device in a bedroom, it appeared merely to be a stone pedestal about three feet high.

Breathing quickly, Bok checked his belt for his disruptor and other important items, before hitting the side of the pedestal. _Picard must never win._ A blue beam of light shot up out of the top of the pedestal, Bok grabbed both sides of it. He screamed as though he had reason to know this would be unpleasant; thrust his head into the beam and then disappeared.

* * *

Slowly, slowly the runabout spun over and over, its occupants having transported away just in time. " _Incoming recorded message, subspace channel 001,_ " the computer announced, unaware that it was now alone.

The static-filled image of Jean-Luc Picard appeared on the screen mounted on the runabout's center table. _"At the risk of someone else seeing this message, Beverly, I decided to record this one and send it in a continuous loop, since I simply cannot rely on the communications system in this piece of space junk. But good news, Beverly…we're operational now. So I wanted to tell you, that I will be on my way to find you soon. It will take me several days in the saucer section with only impulse power, but I will reach you as soon as I can." He smiled and then folded his hands in front of him pensively._

 _"_ _I mentioned to you before that I was experiencing some discomfort and disorientation. I have now come to believe that the timeline has not yet been corrected, and that this is why I have begun to phase out of existence again. Worf prevailed on me to tell you, and I am glad he did. By the time you will have received this message, perhaps you will have realized that the timeline is not quite right. It may even be that I don't belong here. But I beg you…plead with you really-please do not try and correct anything on your own. If time needs to be rectified, let's talk it through together first and come up with a plan. Should our baby be affected by or even be the result of the changed timeline-well we must do what we can to protect her or him. Now please be safe, and while you are at it, please tell Mr. Data that his cat has returned and is testing the limits of Worf's compassion, which has also convinced me that I rather like cats. Goodbye for now, my love._


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **2367 Earth**

They had been at this for an hour and Picard was losing his patience. He and Worf stood on top of the shuttle's ramp while a crowd of about three hundred scraggly looking people looked on. It was clear that the crowd was growing restless, and murmurs of confusion and low-level desperation carried through it like a slow moving wave.

"Look," he said, "we have the shuttle up and running. As I said, I promise that Worf and I will return for the rest of you. For any of you that want to come."

"Why should we believe you'll even come back?" someone called out.

"What gives you the right to take that ship anyway?" said another man.

"They're gonna leave without us!" a disheveled young woman shouted, holding her crying baby.

The murmurs in the crowd grew louder.

Picard took a deep breath and raised his voice. "Look…I don't know how I can convince all of you to trust me. But if one of you wants to come along for the ride, with Worf and me, to keep an eye on us…well you are welcome to."

The crowd quieted down again; but still appeared collectively suspicious.

"I'll come."

Picard focused into the crowd as an old woman stepped forward. It was Mary. He smiled down at her. "Very well." He reached down and grabbed her hands, helping her up.

* * *

 **2367 The** ** _USS Aldrin_**

When Beverly and the others energized in the middle of the _Aldrin's_ sickbay they were still engaged the same tense, abbreviated conversations that had been interrupted while on the runabout. Beverly still gripped Wesley's hand tightly. Wesley let out a loud exhale once he saw they were off of the runabout. Deanna, whose eyes had been shut, opened them slowly, and then hugged herself as though making sure that she was still alive. Geordi and Wesley exchanged glances and then began to laugh with exuberant relief. Even Data seemed surprised at this positive turn of events.

"We're in a sick bay," Beverly said confidently. "But on which ship?" They all looked around them, taking in the surroundings. Beverly's attention turned to the entrance of the sickbay as Will Riker and a handsome officer in command red and black walked swiftly in.

There were of course hand-shakes, hugs and kisses all around, and Riker introduced Commander Obi to the former _Enterprise_ crew. Riker put an arm around Troi's shoulders and looked around at his friends. "Is everyone alright? Do any of you need medical attention?"

"We're fine," said Beverly. "Thanks to Geordi's flying and your good timing."

"Yes, wonderful timing, Will," Troi agreed, looking up at him affectionately. He grinned down at her as she hugged his forearm encircling her shoulders.

Riker's smile faded as his communicator beeped. He slapped it. "Riker here."

"Captain, the Ferengi ship is signaling us again," Lt. Commander Meeta reported. "They have indicated a revision to their previous offer to hand Daimon Bok over for two million bars of latinum…he's gone missing—"

"Missing?" Riker exchanged alarmed glances with Beverly Crusher.

"Yes, sir. The Ferengi report that he was last seen entering his quarters ten minutes ago. Now he's nowhere to be found. A Ferengi named Kad appears to have assumed command. He says we can now have Bok for one million bars of gold-pressed latinum provided that we find him ourselves."

"Kad?" Beverly was suddenly furious. "That little _weasel_ -he sold us out! I should have known…."

"The odds did highly favor such an occurrence," Data observed.

Beverly shot him a slightly dangerous look.

Riker nodded at Obi. "Prepare a boarding party. Let's find Bok and bring him back. Arrest him under Security Directive 33, and use caution and force if necessary."

Obi nodded and had already turned to leave the room when there was a strange warping sensation in the room as though a ripple of water passed through everything and everyone in the sick bay. Obi stopped in his tracks.

The Traveler floated in the center of the room, and slowly drifted down to land gracefully on the deck among the officers. "I am afraid that finding Daimon Bok on will not be such an easy task, Captain Riker. But I do know how such a task can be accomplished," said the Traveler.

"Where is he?" Beverly demanded. Riker put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"He has traveled into the past," said the Traveler. "To murder Captain Picard."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

 **2355 Inside the Singularity Net**

"Let's try it again," Picard called to Commander Zev. He sat at ops, while she stood at science station one. Vigo stood silently at tactical, shooting a furtive, distrustful glance toward the Captain every now and then. "Calibrate at 150% this time. I've boosted the extra power from weapons."

"Leaving us nearly defenseless," Vigo murmured, staring at Picard hatefully.

"That's not true, Vigo," Picard said without turning around. "Our weapons systems are fine."

Zev nodded. "Ready, sir. It was a smoother fit than we could have anticipated. Whatever this technology is, it recognizes the gravitons that comprise our tractor beam. The computer is reading a solid link now between the neutralizer and the emitter. We should be able to use it to push a hole through the net."

Picard tapped his code into the ops station. "Initializing…now…switching helm controls to my command," he said. "On main viewer."

Vigo switched on the front view screen and the three crew members watched as a white repulsing beam emitted from the front of the Stargazer. Slowly it began to eat its way into the invisible fabric of the singularity net.

"Sir, it's working!"

Picard's breath came quickly as he kept his focus on the controls. "Ahead, one quarter impulse power…steady, steady," he said to himself. As an expanse of starlight flooded the view screen they all knew they were free. But instead of the elation they should have felt, they could not help but think that perhaps their troubles were not yet over.

* * *

 _ **The Aldrin**_

"Are you going to help us travel back in time again to save him?" Wesley watched the Traveler expectantly.

"No Wesley. I have been forbidden to do so," said the Traveler. "The others of my kind are punishing me," he said.

"Why?"

"Because of my carelessness. Because I loosened the singularity net so many years ago during my early travels. And now the Ferengi have cursed the universe by providing its power to the Malkatans."

The Traveler continued. "The others of my kind allowed me to travel two more times across time and space in order to investigate the meaning and effect of my transgression. First I traveled into the past, where I witnessed the creators of the singularity net."

"What exactly is this singularity net everyone has been talking about?" Commander Obi asked.

The Traveler turned to him. "The singularity net was for lack of a better word, a prison or series of prisons, created by an ancient race to capture and punish the criminals of its society. Inside one of these nets there was no escape except through advanced technological means created by the same race. The forces within the net used a sort of…warping of time and space, which served to confuse and disorient the prisoner to the point of hallucination...and later insanity. The net was reserved for only the most vicious and unredeemable criminals, because of the very real risk that the prisoners might kill themselves or each other due to the very realistic hallucinations they experienced. It was nearly escape-proof."

Beverly's fear and feelings of guilt swiftly returned. _She had left him behind._ "Are you saying there is no real escape?"

"No. Actually, the neutralizer you brought Picard in the past should work quite well to effectuate the escape of the _Stargazer_ ," said the Traveler. "The neutralizer is derived from the same technology as the net. In fact it was used by the jailors of that ancient race to neutralize the effect the singularity net had on all who encountered it. In simple terms it is a complex key to unlock an even more complex prison cell."

"So then the Captain will be able to escape," Geordi said. "I mean…in the past."

The Traveler nodded. "It is likely that he will have found a way. But there is more. This prison system was discontinued after a thousand years, and the net itself was abandoned."

"Why?" asked Troi. "It sounds horrible and cruel…but effective."

The Traveler smiled faintly. "It was too effective. So effective that the warp fields created inside the net on the home planet of this race eventually broke loose and caused chaos within the ancients' society. Regular people turned on one another influenced by the effect of the Net."

"And this ancient technology…this is what the Malkatans have now used to create the graviton weaponry that is now destroying the great cities of Earth…and Starfleet?" Riker felt an artery beating in his neck as the blood drained from his face.

"Yes. I believe that they have used this in combination with the Ferengi and Starfleet technologies they encountered as a result of Bok's capture of Captain Picard in the net in 2355."

"And now he's not satisfied with that," Beverly blurted out. "I'm not going to stand here and listen to this anymore! We have to travel back into the past and stop Bok from carrying out his plan. He won't stop-" She grabbed Riker's arm and looked into his eyes. "Will…don't you understand? He won't stop until he kills Jean-Luc. And if Jean-Luc dies in the past, he'll be gone _forever_. I didn't tell Jean-Luc about Bok. He has no idea, and won't be able to defend himself or his crew."

Riker looked at her in surprise. He didn't know anything about Beverly traveling into the past. He studied her anguished expression. Something about her was different; but he couldn't quite place it. He carefully pried his arm from her steely grasp, but then took her hand in his. He looked at the Traveler. "You said you can't help us travel this time…so what the hell are we supposed to do? We can't just leave Picard to be killed."

"If Bok traveled from his ship into the past, then it is very likely he has the Pedestal of Time."

"Pedestal of Time?"

"Search Bok's ship and you will find it," said the Traveler. "You may use it to travel in time as he did. And it should take you to his last destination. But it can only be used to bring you back by others manipulating it from this dimension. "

"So if he has not informed his crew of his intentions, how does Bok intend to return to this dimension?" Data asked.

"I'll bet he told Kad everything," said Geordi. "There's no way Kad's not trying to get a cut of the action, as long as there's latinum to be made."

"No. Bok doesn't care if he returns to our time or not…" Beverly's expression was stony, determined. "His only thought is of hurting Jean-Luc. And that is why we have to stop him before he does."

The Traveler's chest began to glow, and he clutched at it with his hands, appearing to be in pain. "I must go," he said. "I am being summoned. But I promise that I will return."

"Wait," Wesley called after him. "You said that your people allowed you to travel twice more to understand the effect of what you had done. You told us about the past…."

The Traveler smiled. "Yes, Wesley. I have also seen the future. A future stolen by Bok and sold to the Malkatans for much too high a price." He shook his head, and his eyes were suddenly full of sorrow. "No…I do not believe you want to know."

"Do we look like people who can afford _not_ to know?" Riker said angrily. "Tell us!"

The Traveler clutched at his heart again. "Nothing will survive…nothing…unless they are stopped." He cried out and then disappeared, shimmering away.

* * *

Riker clenched his jaw and turned to the others. "Who has the neutralizer?"

Beverly stepped out of her space suit and took the neutralizer out of the pocket of her blue lab coat. As she held it up, there was a commotion at the sickbay entrance.

"Out of my way!" A security officer backed steadily through the door to sickbay with his hands up. Beverly watched startled as an elegant but frantic looking blonde woman stepped through the doorway holding some kind of a disruptor.

"Johanna!" Commander Obi shouted, and held his hands out toward her. "What are you doing?"

Doctor Johanna Mayer's hand shook as she leveled the disruptor at Riker. "I heard it…I heard it all. You're planning on going back to save Picard."

"That's right," Riker said as calmly as possible. "Now, I need you to put the weapon down so we can talk, Doctor."

She shook her head, and the disruptor shook in her trembling hand, but she didn't lower it. With her free hand she wiped tears from her blurry eyes. "You know what I've been through? How I've built myself up…I did it on my own. My father tried to hold me back—threatened to kill me. But eventually he disappeared with the rest of the Stargazer crew. And now you want to bring the son of a bitch back. Well I'm not going to _let_ you, Riker."

"Johanna," reasoned Obi. "This isn't the way…you don't want to hurt anyone, I know you don't. I think you're wrong, Johanna. I think you will survive even if the timeline is changed back to the correct one. You have to have faith."

"Faith in what? Some mystical time traveling being and some ancient technology we don't even understand? What's your plan? To save Picard? You people don't give a _damn_ about anyone else!"

Riker stepped forward. "Don't do this, Doctor. Listen to Patrick."

Mayer sniffed in and looked from Obi to Riker. "Which one of you plans on returning to the past?" Her eyes fell on Beverly, and she swiveled the disruptor in her direction. Data stepped in front of Crusher quickly, and she fired in that same instant. Obi leapt forward to push Riker out of the way of the beam and both men fell to the floor hard. Data moved Crusher out of the way, and Mayer fired again. The neutralizer which had flown out of Beverly's grasp and into the air, disintegrated immediately.

"Get a doctor over here!" Riker screamed from underneath Obi's unconscious form. Simultaneously he saw the stun beam hit Doctor Mayer from behind and she fell to the deck.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

"Please have a seat," Picard said to Mary as he ushered her on to the shuttle craft. She glanced around curiously before sitting down and then fumbled with the safety harness before he bent down to help her.

She put her bag down next to her feet and then smiled up at him in surprise, as she felt something rub against her shins. "Oh! I didn't know you had a cat on board this shuttle," she said with a little chuckle.

Picard stared down at Spot, scratching his head. "Neither did I…um, Worf?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"When did Data's cat rejoin us?"

"I do not know, Captain. But it is clear she did not wish to be left behind. Conveniently…just as my scratches have healed," he muttered and sat down in the navigator's seat.

The cat meowed at Picard. "Your timing is quite good, I will give you that," he said to Spot. The cat blinked up at him.

Picard moved to the pilot's seat and paused before powering up the thrusters. He turned around to address the old woman. "Mary, I hope that in time Mr. Worf and I will gain your trust. However, I am afraid that I can't promise that you will be any safer on board a Starship than you are here on Earth."

Mary smiled at Picard in a kindly way. "Don't you worry, young man, I already do trust you two boys," said Mary. She reached down into her pack and pulled out a large bag, and then sighed. "I just needed a break from those people. God, all they do is complain, non-stop! I figured you two boys would be better company. And don't get started about the danger, because I'm much safer with you two than I will be down here just waiting for those ugly Malkatans to return."

Picard raised an eyebrow. "I see...well, you know it has been quite some time since someone referred to me as a young man," he remarked.

She eyed him. "My guess is I've got at least forty years on you, son…."

 _Son?_ "Fair enough," he quietly replied. He watched as she began to pick white puffs of food from the bag she was holding, popping them in her mouth one at a time.

Picard pointed haltingly with his index finger. "Is that...?"

Mary stopped munching her snack momentarily and looked at him. "It's popcorn," she said with her mouth nearly full. She held the bag out to him. "Want some?"

"Um...perhaps later," said Picard. He watched as the cat jumped onto the seat and curled up in Mary's lap, purring. Picard slowly turned back to his station and shot Worf a look, but the Klingon merely shrugged. He was used to odd human behavior. It was the cat that worried him.

Picard sighed as he powered up the shuttle. "Let's not waste any more time."

* * *

 ** _The USS Aldrin_**

Riker pushed Obi off of him as gently as possible. The man was solid, and unconscious people were always heavy. "Sorry," he grunted, even though his first officer couldn't hear him, and then he sat up, pointing at Johanna Mayer. "Restrain her, I don't care if she is unconscious," he ordered the security officer who stood above Dr. Mayer's limp body.

The officer nodded and turned to grab restraints from his colleague.  
"Where should we put her, sir?" he asked bending down.

Riker got to his feet and glared at the man. "She just _fired_ a disruptor into a sickbay full of officers, Ensign..."

"The brig then sir?"

Riker nodded curtly. "The brig." He watched as the officers picked Dr. Mayer up. The stun setting must have been strong. "After she's been locked up, proceed with caution to locate CASU. I'd like to know why the hell my personal security robot wasn't here intervening while she was threatening to shoot me."

Riker rubbed the back of his skull. The arm he had injured down on the colony was aching again. He recalled that CASU had saved him down there. So where was the robot now? He glanced over at Crusher and Troi who were talking quietly. They seemed alright.

"I'm _alright_ Deanna," Doctor Crusher was insisting, still seated on the floor, while Troi crouched beside her. "Just a little bump on the head," she added.

Riker looked down at Obi who was slowly coming to. The medical personnel surrounding him chattered to each other anxiously. Finally one of them turned to look up at Riker. "He's sustained a slight concussion and his arm was grazed by the disruptor fire."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes sir."

Riker leaned down to look at his first officer. "It was set to kill…Obi saved my life."

Obi was murmuring something as he regained consciousness. "She didn't mean it sir…please let me talk to her." He tried to sit up, but Riker put a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, Patrick…rest a few more minutes. Mayer is the least of my worries, right now."

"But she's destroyed the only neutralizer we have, sir," Wesley said, walking toward Riker.

Riker nodded. "I know." Damn her…she'd really complicated matters. Now it seemed they would need to travel into the past not only to save Picard, but to get the only other neutralizer—the one Picard had in his possession. Without it, the Malkatans would continue to destroy the Federation.

Crusher touched her tender scalp absently as she stared out after the security officers as they carried Doctor Mayer out of sick bay. "Did you say her last name is Mayer…?"

Riker turned to look at her. "Yes. Why, does that name mean something to you?"

Crusher frowned. "Vaguely…I don't know." She shook her head and then started to push herself to her feet, shrugging off Deanna's assistance.

"Slowly, Beverly," cautioned Troi. "In your condition, you need to be more careful—" Wesley moved to his mother's side nervously, grabbing her elbow to steady her.

"What condition is that?" Riker snapped staring at the two women and Wesley. They were behaving secretively, and he didn't appreciate it. He needed everyone clear and everything out in the open in order to plan their next move. What were they keeping from him?

Crusher straightened. "I'm fine," she told him pointedly, chin raised.

"That still doesn't answer my question, Doctor." Riker saw the determined look on her face and knew he had to change his tone quickly, if he was to have any chance of reasoning with her. The prospect that Picard could be killed in the past, never to return again was still unthinkable, even though he had recently struggled to do his best to come to terms with Picard disappearing from the present. Beverly had tried to save him in the past, but whatever she'd done hadn't been enough. He could imagine how troubled she must feel. And that she of course loved the Captain made it all that much harder to bear.

He walked toward her and softened his expression, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Beverly, I know you…and I know for a fact that you are already planning on returning to the past to help the Captain. But you're on my ship now. So if you're ill, I need to know about it—"

"I'm pregnant, Will," Beverly interrupted softly.

Riker let his hand drop from her shoulder limply. He looked into her eyes. "Wow…I have to say…I didn't expect that."

"Neither did I," she admitted, taking in his shocked expression. "But I'm pregnant. And aside from this bump on my head, I assure everyone that I am perfectly fine."

As she walked past him, Riker turned to look at Deanna with an alarmed expression. _How?_ He thought, as he watched Wesley follow his mother out the door.

Deanna folded her arms over her chest and looked up at him with mixed amusement and irritation. _Will…_

 _When she traveled to the past…._

Deanna nodded.

 _And that's when they did it?_

Deanna sighed in exasperation. _Did… it? Very classy, Will. I don't have any specific details if that is what you are looking for._

He shrugged. _And the Captain has now re-appeared here in the present? On Earth? And he knows?_

 _Yes, yes, and yes…._

 _This whole thing is so crazy,_ he thought.

 _Finally, you've thought something I can agree with_ , she thought back at him.

Riker winked at her and then turned to look at Data and Geordi who were chattering away intensely about the neutralizer.

"The runabout's hull and starboard nacelle are compromised, Geordi…it is too dangerous to bring it aboard the _Aldrin_. It is also highly likely that the shuttle will explode within the hour."

"We need the information stored in the shuttle's replicator, Data," said LaForge.

"So you think there's a chance of making another neutralizer then?" Riker asked hopefully.

"It's possible," said LaForge. "I recommend that we upload all computer files from the runabout ASAP, before we lose it entirely.

Riker nodded. "Proceed."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **In orbit around Earth…**

For as long as he had known about Starfleet, there had been a Space Dock. An immense, elegant space station; it was the first thing the crew of a returning starship saw, and the last thing the crew of a departing starship saw when it left Earth. It is where Picard remembered the saucer section of the Enterprise had been docked and decommissioned four months earlier after he had done the unthinkable and destroyed the star drive of his own ship. But as he and Worf's rickety shuttle approached the old familiar area, not only was space dock missing, but so was the _Enterprise_.

"It's not there," he said, unable to bring his gaze from the screen. Picard got to his feet. "It's not there! My ship..." His hands gripped the back of the seat tightly, trying to steady himself because it felt as though his legs had turned to rubber.

As they drew in closer, debris from what had been a massive explosion floated by the viewport, buffeting the shuttle. Picard passed a hand over his eyes. "All of those lives…lost."

Worf said something in Klingon and then glanced at Picard. He had run a scan quickly and there was nothing that would have shown itself to be debris from the Enterprise. "It is…as I suspected, Captain."

Picard turned to him intensely. "All-stop. What are you talking about Worf? What did you suspect? Are you telling me you knew the Enterprise wouldn't be here?"

Worf turned to look up at the Captain. "Before you disappeared Captain, the Enterprise saucer section was in Space Dock. But after you disappeared, as I have explained, time as we know it began to change. The _Enterprise_ in this altered timeline is intact and currently under someone else's command—a Captain Jellico. So I did not anticipate that it would be here."

Picard felt the veins in his neck begin to pulse with anger. "Why didn't you just say so? Why did you let me believe in something that could never be?"

"Captain…several days ago, the remains of the fleet—ten starships were recalled to Earth to defend against the Malkatan attack. One of those starships was the _Enterprise_. A few days ago it was reported that nine of the ships had gone silent. The tenth ship—the _Aldrin_ under Captain Riker never reported to Earth. I hoped that the _Enterprise_ –the _whole_ ship would be here in orbit. But to be truthful, I did not know what we would find."

Part of what Worf said made sense, but all he could think of was that he had failed Beverly. "Worf, I can't very well take a ship that is under someone else's command," he said, his voice rising. "And is it even here? Do the sensors detect my ship?"

Worf looked down at his console. "I have not been able to pull it up on the sensors yet."

"Worf that was our only chance to find our families…my only chance to reunite with Beverly!"

"Captain-"

"No, Worf…I don't want to hear it," he snapped holding his hand up.

"Perhaps I too was overcome with Human optimism," Worf murmured to himself as Picard stalked angrily to the back of the shuttle.

* * *

It was happening again. He was shifting through time. Would he die before he had a chance to see Beverly and tell her in person how much she meant to him? Would he even live to know his child? He felt dizzy and leaned on the interior wall of the small cargo hold. He tensed as he felt a small hand on his back.

"Son? What's wrong?" It was Mary, and although he knew she was trying to comfort him, he didn't want to turn around. He leaned his forehead against the wall.

"I was trying to find a way to get to the woman I love," he said in a low voice. "She is going to have our baby, and I have to see her, before…before I disappear from this time. I don't belong here, Mary."

"Nonsense," she said, rubbing his back. "Of course you do."

He turned around and looked down at her. A wave of nausea came over him and he swallowed and looked away.

She grabbed his hand in hers. "There is always another way, Jean-Luc. If you love this woman…what is her name?"

"Beverly," he said quietly, still looking away.

"If you love Beverly then you will find a way to get to her before it's too late. You got this piece of junk shuttle up and running didn't you?"

He nodded slightly and looked at her again with a faint smile.

She reached her arms around him suddenly and squeezed. "Then cheer up," Mary said firmly. "Things can only get better from here," she reasoned.

He laughed and then closed his eyes, as the world began to steady itself around him once more. He was back in this time—if even temporarily. Mary was right; he could not give up.

They both turned at the sound of a beeping noise coming from the cockpit.

* * *

"Captain!"

Picard ran forward still holding Mary's hand in his. His eyes immediately caught on the image on the viewer. "What the hell?" He gestured for Mary to sit down, as all three stared out of the view port. After Captain Picard walked away from him, Worf had resumed orbit of the Earth. And now upon Picard's return to the cockpit, he discovered that Worf had not been completely wrong.

"They are all here, Captain. All nine of the starships…including the _Enterprise_ ," Worf added.

As Worf indicated, the starships floated in a line, and between each one was a strange bolt of white plasma energy, seemingly connecting each one to the other. If the Malkatans were present, they were not visible to the eye or to the shuttle's sensors.

"Life forms?" Picard asked.

Worf shook his head. "If anyone is alive on board those ships, our sensors are too weak to read them, Captain. Or else the life signs themselves are too weak."

Picard jumped into the pilot's seat once again. His eyes locked on one familiar looking elegant shape amidst the rest of the ships. "Setting a course for the _Enterprise_ ," he said, engaging the thrusters.

* * *

 **The** ** _Aldrin_**

"Come in," Beverly called out.

Riker walked in to the guest quarters, with his most winning smile prepared. But when he saw the anxiety on his friend's face, the smile wouldn't come.

"Wesley just stormed out of here after I refused to change my mind about returning to the past. Actually, he wanted to come with me."

"But you told him no," Riker said, sitting down in a desk chair. Beverly remained standing.

"Of course I did," she said in a practical tone. "I'm not going to risk my son in that way."

Riker's brow creased. "But you're going to risk your baby…."

"I'm not asking anyone for their approval," she said coldly. "Judge me all you want. It's very simple. I have to go."

"Hell…I'm not judging you..." said Riker. He finally grinned at her when she met his gaze. "I'm going with you."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

"What do you mean you're coming with me?" Beverly dropped her med kit on the table and crossed her arms in front of her.

Riker gave Crusher a puzzled look. "I thought I was being clear enough...look, Beverly, we need to get that neutralizer, and the Captain Picard of the past has it in his possession."

"Will, you're talking about him as though he's somehow a different person. But he's the same man you've known."

"Except he's not going to have a clue who I am, is he?"

"True," she admitted.

"So…are we going to tell him?"

Her face went immediately pale and he realized…she was still wrestling with telling the Picard of 2355 that she was pregnant. But that wasn't exactly what he had meant.

"Tell him what?" She asked quietly as she twisted her hands in front of her. The front she had been keeping up had dropped. She looked vulnerable all of a sudden, and he felt for her.

"Tell him that we're from the future," Riker clarified.

She looked down at her feet, obviously disconcerted. "Um, yes. I think we have to…don't you?"

Riker nodded tensely. "If he's going to trust us, I don't see any other way. He has no idea who Bok is, much less the danger he and his crew are in. And, of course we need to convince him to give us the neutralizer back." Will sighed and shook his head. "I don't know…a lot could go wrong."

"I gave it to him," said Beverly, regaining some of her natural confidence. "I see no reason why he wouldn't simply give it back to me. But I'm telling you right now, in my mind this neutralizer thing is secondary."

"I'm with you," he agreed.

"As long as we both understand my reasons for returning," she said.

Ruler nodded. "You intend to save him from Bok. Well, so do I..."

"Good," she said, grabbing for her blue lab coat and putting it on.

Riker smiled at her still trying to make peace. He handed her a heavy tan coat with multiple pockets. "You'll need something more substantial than a lab coat. Here, this will protect you in case we're grazed by disruptor or phaser fire...just don't get hit head on."

"I'll try my best." She smiled tightly and then paused while pulling the coat on as her hand grazed her abdomen. It didn't make any sense-she was already starting to show. Everything was happening much too quickly.

A horrible thought crossed her mind for the first time. What if she entered the past and the baby disappeared? Was she making the right decision by going back to try and keep him safe? Was she risking their child? What if she just stayed in the present with him, and trusted that in the past he would be able to fend for himself? No...she decided that she couldn't do that either.

Riker watched Beverly as she put a hand over her eyes and bowed her head seeming to freeze with the weight of too many decisions. He moved closer. "You okay?"

After a moment she nodded and looked up at him, forcing a smile.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" he persisted gently. Uh oh… _wrong_ question. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. Riker wisely moved out of Beverly's way as she snatched a small duffel bag nearby and threw her med kit and a phaser into it. She tossed the bag over her shoulder and walked toward the door quickly.

Before he could follow her, she turned around abruptly, and he was dismayed to see that the troubled look on her face had returned.

"I haven't decided whether I am going to tell him yet, Will," she admitted, looking incredibly guilty. "About the baby," she added.

"Right," he said quietly. "Well…why don't you just wait and see what makes sense when you see him?" He cleared his throat. "I won't get in your way, but I'll be there to support you. Okay?"

She smiled, looking just a little relieved. "Okay."

* * *

 **Earth 2367 Altered Timeline**

"How are we going to get in?" Mary asked from behind him.

Picard felt a wave of vertigo sweep over him as he sat at the shuttle's flight controls. And then he heard Vigo's voice as clearly as if his old tactical officer was sitting next to him. _"How are we going to get in?"_ Vigo asked. " _There's no one to let us in."_

Picard blinked as the metallic grey sheen of the Enterprise hull filled the view screen. "Worf is our communications array working?" he asked, trying to shake the ghostly voices from his brain. He had never heard Vigo speak those words, so why did he hear the man's voice speaking them? Why now?

"Yes, sir," said Worf. "Activating," he said.

"Establish a link with the _Enterprise_ ," he ordered.

"The link is up, sir," Worf confirmed.

"Nice work, Vigo," he said turning to his right with a smile.

Worf did a double-take. "Sir?"

" _Enterprise_ , this is Captain Jean-Luc Picard," Picard said, not missing a beat. "Requesting to dock in shuttle bay one. "

There was no immediate answer; then: " _Request denied._ _Captain Jean-Luc Picard has been missing in action and presumed deceased since 2355,_ " said the Enterprise computer. " _Unidentified shuttle, please acknowledge the appropriate security code to continue docking procedures."_

Picard's hands shook on the control panel, and sweat ran down his back. Dead…since 2355. He didn't belong here in this time. He blinked perspiration out of his eyes and looked over at Worf. "Mr. Worf…you—you try," he gritted his teeth to maintain his composure.

"Computer, requesting docking procedure, Security 1-001-Alpha-002," said Worf.

" _Acknowledged_ ," said the computer immediately.

Worf glanced at Picard, who was staring straight ahead. "Open the aft shuttle bay doors," ordered Worf. "Standard docking procedures."

" _Acknowledged_ ," repeated the _Enterprise_ computer.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Are you sure you're feeling well enough to accompany us over there, Patrick?"

Commander Obi nodded at Riker and Doctor Crusher and smiled weakly. His head was killing him and his arm was very sore, but he was glad to be alive. "Aye sir."

"Energize," Riker said and the interior of the Aldrin's transporter room was replaced by dark but ornate furnishings of a Daimon's ship. Of course, the Daimon in command, Daimon Bok was missing. He'd traveled into the past to kill Captain Picard, and Beverly and Will planned to follow him. Riker pulled his phaser and quickly surveyed their surroundings.

A Ferengi who was even smaller than was typical, stood surrounded by armed guards, looking very pleased with himself. But Riker was in no mood to bargain.

"I see no latinum bars," accused the small Ferengi self-importantly.

"You're lucky to be seeing anything at all," Riker said. "Your ship attacked an innocent Starfleet vessel—"

"And then you attacked my ship," the little Ferengi interrupted. "I am a Grand Daimon now…and this _female_ is hardly innocent!"

"And you are hardly _grand_ , Kad," remarked Beverly calmly. "In fact, you are the smallest, most pathetic creature I believe I have ever seen."

He squinted and twitched, letting out a slow hiss.

* * *

The _Enterprise_ shuttle bay was eerily quiet. Picard had quickly overcome his strange experience in having been rejected by his former ship—a ship that no longer recognized him. As he spoke, he attempted to keep his voice strong. "It's a good sign that we were able to get aboard," he said, checking his phaser. "But from here on in, we should expect trouble. Now, Mary, if you feel safer you may stay here, but-" he turned and was shocked to find that the old woman was now standing up, holding a large phaser rifle in her hands.

"I'm coming with you," she said firmly.

Worf took an involuntary step backward. "Do you even know how to _use_ that weapon?" he demanded.

She shrugged. Picard raised an eyebrow and gently pushed the barrel of the rifle away from the direction his knee where it was currently pointing. "Mr. Worf, please give Mary a quick but thorough weapons tutorial before we proceed," he said warily.

"Aye sir."

* * *

When they reached the bridge, Picard turned to Worf. "You served with Captain Jellico…you all did, didn't you? If he's in there, on the bridge, he'll recognize you, won't he? Won't he?"

Worf remained silent, just looking down at him. "Stop trying to protect me Worf!"

"Sir…as I have tried to tell you…after you disappeared that day in Hawaii everything began to change. Traces of you and your influence began to disappear. Only those of us who knew you and who served along with you remembered you, Captain. After Commander Riker was promoted to Captain, it became even clearer that all of us who had served on board the _Enterprise_ were now out of place. According to the records some of us served with Captain Jellico on board the _Enterprise_."

Picard frowned. "Do you remember serving with Captain Jellico?"

"I have memories of serving with both you and Captain Jellico," Worf said. "It is as though I have lived two lives..."

"And yet you have not been phasing in and out of existence as I have," he observed.

"No sir."

"Very well," he said after a moment. "Let's proceed," he said tightly.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Daimon Kad—" Commander Obi began, and paused as one of Kad's guards snickered nearby.

Kad whirled on his subordinate angrily. "Your insolence has been duly noted Bardo," he shouted.

"Dissent among the ranks, Kad?" Riker asked.

"More likely he doesn't actually possess the rank of Daimon," said Beverly. "He'll do anything to appear more than he really is."

Kad's jaw worked angrily as he regarded Beverly, but he said nothing.

" _Daimon_ Kad," Obi began again overemphasizing the title this time. More snickering. "You have two options. I arrest you under Security Directive 33 for aiding and abetting Bok and bring you into custody on board the _Aldrin_ …or you take your chances with Captain Riker."

Kad was appalled. "How are these choices? These are not fair choices!"

Obi smiled. "Maybe not, but I'm not sure you want to hear the third choice…it's even worse."

"I choose Riker then," Kad blurted out. At least escape was possible where he hadn't simply turned himself in.

"Good choice," said Riker, grabbing Kad roughly by the arm. "Now, you are going to do everything in your power to get us between Bok and Picard. I'm sorry to be so direct, Kad, but it seems you've run out of choices."

* * *

 **In Orbit Around Earth 2367 Altered Timeline**

The first thing they saw when they stepped onto the bridge was the now familiar Malkatan weapon they had faced on Earth. A black globe of energy hung over the command center. As it spun, it resembled a miniature black hole. Aside from the floating singularity, the bridge was empty save for one person. A slender man with blondish greying hair sat at the helm, facing a blank view screen. His shoulders sagged as he sat there silently. A thin zigzagging line of electric extended from the floating singularity into the side of the man's head. It appeared to be the same type of energy that they had seen connecting each of the nine starships.

Worf slowly scanned the jet black circle of energy with his tricorder, while both men clutched their phasers in hand. Mary held her phaser rifle loosely, staring open-mouthed at the floating disc. Worf suddenly moved away and shut off his tricorder. He grabbed for Mary's arm and pulled her with him.

"What is it?" Picard asked Worf, but training his phaser on the still human figure seated at the front of the bridge.

"The closer we are to this object, the more likely it is that we will be susceptible to its influence," said Worf. "I believe it is similar to the other weapons used by the Malkatans, and as such it has mind control properties."

"And other more destructive effects which we have seen firsthand," added Picard. Picard looked at Mary who blinked. "Don't stare at it, Mary," he warned. "Be careful."

Slowly Picard walked forward, closer to the man at the helm. Worf and Mary followed behind him and soon they stood watching him, unsure of what to do next.

"Captain Jellico," said Worf, kneeling down to look at the man's face. Jellico's pale eyes were open, staring into the console. His mouth moved, but his words were almost a whisper.

Suddenly there was a flurry of alien voices emitting from the console, making demands.

Jellico suddenly began speaking in a clear voice. "Malkatan Vessel 1701-D reporting." The alien voices rattled off several other sentences and then Jellico slumped forward, once again in a zombie-like state, seemingly held up only by a thin strand of energy attached to his head.

"Captain," said Picard. "If you can hear me, where are the other members of your crew?"

Jellico's lips moved, but if he said anything, it was too low to make out.

"We're here to help you. Where is your crew?"

"Near…Malkatan base…alive."

"And the crews of the other ships here in orbit? Are they alive and in the same place?"

Jellico nodded almost imperceptibly. "Yes," he whispered.

"Where is the Malkatan base?" Picard asked.

"Island…South Pacific…prisoners—must save them!" Jellico suddenly blinked rapidly. "Here! You must hide!"

* * *

Picard stared at the man in confusion and horror. "Hide? From what?"

Worf's eyes widened in realization. "There are Malkatans on the _Enterprise_."

"They're coming now," Jellico whispered. Picard glanced in alarm at Worf. Grabbing Mary, they rushed back to the command area and crouched down out of the line of sight of anyone who entered the bridge.

The approaching voices were harsh and guttural, and they sounded so familiar to Picard, that for a minute he thought he was somewhere else…in the past. But they were on the bridge of the Enterprise with him. He looked at Mary and for the first time she appeared terrified. He put his index finger to his lips to signal silence. She shut her eyes and shrunk into Picard's body. He held her tightly, trying to keep her calm and quiet as the Malkatan voices grew louder.

He couldn't understand what they were saying…or could he? Something about retrieving the orb. The ships were now ready for transfer…the Starfleet prisoners down on the planet could soon be eliminated. The General was demanding a report from his base on Earth… _General Unh_. Picard felt the name like a knife twisting.

The footsteps halted. Peering up through the back of the command center Picard could see that there were two Malkatans…unsuspecting of his presence, he hoped. One of the Malkatans pointed at Jellico's captive form and let out a rolling laugh. He felt an almost uncontrollable fury boiling inside.

The other Malkatan held his arm out straight and the floating singularity in the center of the bridge shot immediately into his hand closing up, encased in a metallic ball in the alien's palm. The energy stream extinguished, Jellico's neck snapped backward and he fell limply to the deck. He was either dead or unconscious now.

As the footsteps grew closer, he felt a steely resolve settle inside him. He lifted his chin to Worf, and Worf jumped up and out, firing at the first Malkatan. As they struggled, he ran around from the opposite direction, and tackled the second Malkatan, sending the deactivated singularity weapon out of his hand. The Malkatan fired, and Picard felt the beam pierce his right shoulder.

He screamed in pain and rage, thrusting his phaser into the Malkatan's large gut, and fired. It was the Malkatan's turn to scream as they both fell to the deck. Dimly he was aware of Mary grabbing the singularity weapon in her hands, and firing on the Malkatan, as Picard desperately rolled out of the way. Mary fired again and the Malkatan disappeared. Worf growled something over and over in Klingon, and finally dropped the Malkatan he was fighting from his grip. The alien made a gurgling sound and then his eyes slowly turned a lifeless grey.

* * *

Picard dragged himself over to the tactical station and pulled himself to his feet. He leaned against the station breathing heavily and looked at Mary and Worf who were each standing upright against the wall, resting.

Picard coughed and clutched at his burned shoulder. "They're keeping the rest of the Starfleet officers on an island in the South Pacific. General Unh, and his base are there." He took a deep breath in through his nose. "We've got our ship back now, we've got one of their weapons…and it's time we gave the Malkatans a taste of their own medicine."

* * *

Riker shoved Kad ahead of him into Bok's room, and Beverly followed behind him. They saw the drab brown pedestal immediately as they walked into Bok's lavish bedroom. It looked plain and unassuming, but now they knew better. "Let's go, Kad," Riker said gruffly.

"Wait!" Kad looked up at Riker and Beverly with a certain amount of fear, and an equal amount of cunning. "Are you certain you want to do this? You never know what you will find on the other side," he warned them.

"I have a feeling that if we take you with us," Beverly said. "You'll be the perfect guide."

"It's going to hurt like _og_! I am warning you," exclaimed Kad.

Riker glared at Kad. "What do we have to do?"

Kad glanced around nervously. "Just put one hand on the pedestal and lean in." He licked his lips. "I'll go first," he offered and almost sounded generous.

"No," said Beverly. "We all go at once," she said suspiciously. She grabbed Riker's hand in hers and stepped toward the pedestal. Riker held one of Kad's arms behind his back tightly, then shoved him toward the pedestal again. As the Ferengi instinctively reached out to break his fall, his small hand landed on the pedestal, and Riker and Crusher quickly followed him. For all of them there was a rushing sound, a high pitched noise in their ears, and the room disappeared.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 **2355 Somewhere in the Batu System (Altered Timeline)**

"Father, will you _please_ stop hissing into my ear!" Brom shouted. "You are spitting into my lobes!"

Daimon Bok pushed himself away from his son reluctantly, but continued to lurk nearby with a nefarious expression.

Commander Brom sat in his command chair, wiping off his ears and trying to maintain the appearance that he was in control of his ship. Several months ago an older version of his father had appeared, asserting that he had just traveled through time. This future version of his father had a plan to kill off one of his rivals, a human. Brom himself had never even heard of such a creature, but was soon willing to play his part in the plan once he learned that he would not only survive in the future because he would avoid being killed by Picard, but he would grow to be a rich and powerful Ferengi. But now, future Bok was back, which meant something had gone wrong. And for the past fifteen minutes, he had been frantically explaining it to Brom. As yet, Brom was still unconvinced.

"I will continue to spit into both of your earlobes until you hear me, my son. This human must die, and he must be destroyed by _your_ ship, Brom," Bok shouted.

Brom rolled his eyes at the ceiling of the bridge. "Father you told me to lure him into the singularity net—I did that and the Mal—whatever-you call them captured him. Now apparently he and his crew have escaped? That doesn't bode well for your plans to kill him…."

Bok shrugged and clasped his hands together. "A slight set back, I agree. But that is why I am here. If you destroy Picard and his ship right now, you will still live to become rich and powerful."

Brom slowly turned to regard his father. "And why would I not be alive in 2367? I have already changed the past as you asked, haven't I? Picard didn't kill me and instead was captured."

Bok hissed at him again, and Brom moved his head away distastefully, checking to see that his be-jeweled tunic had not been stained.

" _He must not survive!"_

"That is not an argument, father. Why put myself in harm's way yet again for nothing? Besides, what if this Picard person recognizes my ship and holds a grudge?"

"His ship was damaged before the Malkatan's net captured him," said Bok. "I know for a fact he was tortured and some of his crew were killed by the Malkatans…he is weak and you are still in the superior position."

Brom tapped the top of his ear with his manicured finger, and turned away.

Bok bristled at the insult but knew he would need to make a showing of good faith to convince his son. "I will make sure you are paid handsomely for this Brom."

Brom turned back to face his father. "Desperation suits you father. And that is not a compliment." He gestured for his assistant who rushed forward dutifully. "Bero, write up a standard contract for my father to sign. And make sure the latinum amount is unequivocal and that he initials that section. I don't trust him—he is my father after all." The assistant nodded quickly, turning to Bok to put the agreement in writing.

Brom addressed his helm officer. "Set a course for the Maxia Sector. Anti-matter burst factor three."

* * *

 **2355 On Board the Stargazer in the Maxia Sector (Altered Timeline)**

Picard sat in his command chair leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, staring out at the star scape in front of him. He was deep in thought now that his mind had begun to clear somewhat. The truth was, he was thinking of what was to happen next. His ship was functional, but there were only three of them now to operate it. He wished that the rest of his crew were alive and that he could turn the Stargazer around, and set a course for Malkata to rescue them. But they were dead. All of them.

General Unh was still living and his crew was dead. His hands tightened into fists. Had Unh done it all himself, or had he assigned an executioner? A place deep in Jean-Luc's heart that he had never accessed before; a very dark place that perhaps had not existed before now, did not want him to tell Starfleet the truth about what happened. Not because he wanted to hide his own culpability in the matter, but because he truly wanted to return in order kill his former captor himself. And he didn't want anyone to know of this revenge.

He knew it wasn't like him, and no one he had known before his capture would expect him to react in this way. Was he a different human being now than he had been before? Somehow in the face of the brutality he had witnessed and the humiliation he had experienced, he had been transformed. It was as if something good and noble about him was left back on that planet, and perhaps it was that piece of him that stayed behind in the room with all of his dead comrades.

Had it not been for the neutralizer, Picard, Zev and Vigo would never have escaped the singularity net. And without Beverly Crusher he never would have obtained the neutralizer. But you see, now that his mind was clear and free from the influence of the Singularity net, his encounter with Beverly was that much more bizarre and dreamlike. Beverly. Clearly the neutralizer and its technology were real—but how could Beverly have been there on that base; and how did she then disappear into thin air?

Moreover, how could Beverly have even known where the Stargazer had been, when Starfleet Command hadn't been able to mount a successful rescue? And now his comrades, and not even he could reasonably believe that the beautiful wife of Jack Crusher; a woman whom he had believed hated him after Jack's death, had saved his life.

And yet…he remembered every word, every sensation that had passed between them, and even so, it could not have been real. Perhaps Vigo was right, and he had been hallucinating because of the net. Perhaps he had merely seen what his subconscious had wanted to see, and not a Malkatan, but Beverly. But he could still feel the pressure of her lips, and the taste of her tongue and skin. Perhaps, as Vigo suggested, he had only dreamed about making love to her, or envisioned it in a very real sense, just as he had so many other times when he was on the base.

But there had been a few moments that he could not reconcile with that theory. And this was because as he lay beneath her body, he watched her sleep, resting her cheek on his chest. With each breath she took, he felt her rib cage pressing into him and then receding with each exhale. He felt the wonderful and delicate warmth between her thighs still resting against his lower body and knew that she was as alive as he was. When she awoke and rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, he looked into her eyes and he asked her if she was real. And she had responded that she was. And the reason he had asked, was that she had whispered things to him and had loved him in a way that he could never imagined before even though he had thought of her so often while in captivity.

In that moment he finally could see a difference between the Beverly who had visited him in his mind, and the person who was with him for those few hours. And as she wiped away the tears that had rolled out of his eyes; tears he hadn't even realized had left them, she said "we will be together again like this in the future, Jean-Luc. I promise you."

So he couldn't believe that she had been a figment of his imagination, any more than Vigo and Zev could believe that she was real. So he would simply not speak of it to them. But he would always know the truth. Her whisper echoed through his brain again. _In the future…I promise you…._

* * *

Beverly blinked in the darkness, and felt around her. She heard a groan next to her and thrust her hand out blindly. Her finger poked something soft.

"Ow…jeez," she heard Will Riker complain. "That was my _eye_!"

"Sorry!" she said. Her ears were still ringing and her mind felt numb from the effect of the pedestal of time, which put simply was unpleasant. A thought of panic entered her mind. "Where's Kad?"

Riker sat up and pulled out a small flashlight and shone it him around on the floor (his instinct told him Kad would be down low) and the light caught on a small body balled up on the floor. He shuffled closer on his hands and knees and saw that Kad was indeed lying on the floor with his hands clasped over his sensitive ears.

The pedestal was hard enough on humans he had just learned, and apparently was even worse for Ferengi and their sensitive craniums. This just clarified for Riker how absolutely insane Bok must have been to continue using it. Somewhere his vendetta against Picard had become less about avenging his son's death and more about ruining Picard at any cost. So someone like Bok had to be feared at the very least for his unrelenting zeal.

"You okay?" he asked Beverly, as their eyes slowly adjusted to the low light. She looked dazed, but just below that was determination. It made him remember that perhaps Bok should be more worried about Beverly, and not the other way around.

She nodded. "Yes, I can feel it wearing off gradually." She rubbed her eyes. "Wake him up, I want to know where the hell we are," she said gesturing at Kad.

Riker shook Kad, taking out some restraints. He encircled one end around his own wrist and the other around Kad's uninterested in taking any chances on him escaping. "Kad, wake up and tell us where the hell we are."

Kad whimpered and then began to jerk his limbs back and forth when he realized Riker had handcuffed him. Riker tugged his arm. "You're not going anywhere without me, so it's best that you keep things honest, Kad," he warned.

Kad slowly got to his feet beside Riker. He glanced around him. "It is just as I assumed. We are on board Brom's ship! Bok has completely lost his mind. There is no profit l _eft_ in this venture."

"My guess is that if there is any profit left, you'll be the first to find it Kad," Beverly said.

"Brom is Bok's son, right?" Riker asked.

"That's right," Beverly said, slowly getting to her feet. She was in good shape, so it shouldn't have been such an effort. She reached out to lean against a wall, and her other hand dropped to her stomach for the first time. She glanced down in alarm as her hand fell on her rounded belly. _This is how I felt when I was four months pregnant with Wesley_ , she thought. She took a deep breath. The jacket Riker had given her had been loose, but now she could hardly close it over her stomach. She pulled it around her and told herself that if she had to she could still hide it from Jean-Luc. But now that she knew she was on board Brom's ship, hiding her pregnancy was secondary, as she just hoped that she would have a chance to see him again before Bok carried out his plans.

Riker was watching her, but it was obvious he was not planning on commenting on her fast moving pregnancy. What was there to say?

Kad on the other hand was staring at her stomach with bulging eyes. He pointed and looked as though he was about to say something completely inappropriate when Beverly pulled her phaser and aimed it at his chest.

"Keep your comments to yourself," she warned him. "And help us find Bok, before I have to set this thing to kill."

Riker shined the flashlight on his own face for dramatic effect and looked down at Kad. "You heard the doctor. Let's get moving."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 **On board the Stargazer**

"Captain…" Picard's head jerked up at the sound of Zev's firm voice coming closer. How long had she been speaking to him?

" _Captain_ Picard," repeated Commander Zev walking toward him with her hands clasped behind her back. "Whatever that technology was you…obtained on the Malkatan base, it was quite effective."

"Hmm? Yes, it appears so," he answered, trying to shake the images of Beverly from his brain again. He straightened in his chair, and sat back, leaving his hands on his knees.

Zev noted the Captain's faraway expression. "Do you now feel free of the singularity net's influence, Captain?"

He shrugged slightly. "I suppose….." he got to his feet and looked toward tactical, finding the station empty. He turned back to Zev with a frown. "Where's Vigo?"

Zev's single functional antenna curled toward him in what he had come to recognize was Andorian amusement. "I ordered him to go and take a shower—he stunk."

Picard laughed. "He's not the only one. I suppose we should all learn to start getting back to normal life."

Zev's antenna twitched. "If that is possible. Sir?"

"Yes?"

Zev let her hands drop to her sides in a more informal stance. She was militaristic to the core, another Andorian trait which often put her at odds with some of the more mild-mannered rules and regulations of Starfleet. But her strict demeanor was one which he recognized in himself, and perhaps that was why they got along so well. So to see her change her stiff posture in front of him was unusual. "Sir, you must forgive Vigo for the things he said to you. He certainly did not really mean them."

Picard sighed and closed his eyes tiredly and then opened them slowly. "You mean the things he said about my responsibility for the deaths of my crew…including Jack?" Zev said nothing, so he closed his eyes again. "Or was it the vulgar things he said about Beverly Crusher?"

"Captain, he was-"

His eyes snapped open and he stood up to face her. "He was completely out of line!" he shouted. "He had no _right_ to talk about her in that manner."

Zev stared back at him with her antenna pointed in his direction, indicating she had no intention of backing down despite his sudden fury. "Captain, Vigo like you and I was under the influence of the singularity net, and its mind controlling effects. I am sure none of us want to be judged by the actions we engaged in while on the base or any lingering after effects we may now be experiencing."

Still seething, Picard paced away from her and then turned back, struggling to get his emotions in check. "Commander…I'm very sorry that I shouted at you. Of course…perhaps we are all still suffering some ill effects."

Zev reached up to lightly touch the top of her head where her antenna had been severed by a Malkatan blade. She blinked, recalling that the blade had been left intentionally dull, and her torturers had spent several days sawing it off.

"Perhaps some of us will never stop suffering these effects, Captain." She fixed him with a serious stare. "Do you know that I cannot stop wondering if my family has forgotten me?"

"Oh Zev, I am sure that is not the case."

Zev's antenna flattened on top of her silver hair. "Before we came out for this last deep space mission my wife threatened to leave me, Captain."

Picard stared at her in surprise. "But…but Mira loves you, Zev. I have seen it in her eyes each time I've met her. Even though…as you know, I am no expert at reading women's emotions."

"But she told me…." Zev's right hand began to shake-a nerve tremor left over from having her wrists clasped in restraints for days. She quickly bit her knuckles, and then placed her hand behind her back. "But Mira said I've spent too much time away from home," Zev said quickly. "Captain, I am not even getting to see my children grow up. And she is right. Why did it take being captured and tortured on an alien planet for me to truly understand the things that should be important to me?"

Picard looked down at his boots. "Zev, I don't know," he said softly. "You see, I have been wondering the same thing about myself. Perhaps we have both been too focused on our careers—too focused to see that there is more to life, my friend," he smiled faintly.

Zev smiled back and her antenna lifted slowly. But her smile faded. "You and I may someday recover, Captain. But not Vigo…and if there is a court martial…."

Picard shook his head. "If there is a court martial, I will take responsibility for everything—our capture, torture…even the deaths of the crew. I am captain…and I recognize that this is on me, Zev."

Zev's expression grew dark. "Captain, have you wondered why Vigo insists upon blaming you at any cost for the deaths of the crew?"

"You told me down on the base—General Unh convinced Vigo that I wouldn't give up the security codes, and they murdered the crew because of my refusal. He believed the Malkatan's lies…."

Zev slowly shook her head. " _No_. Vigo created the story about the security codes to cover something even more horrible. He knew I wasn't present when the crew died and had no way of knowing what really happened to the crew. And he knew I was as compromised mentally as he was. But as more of my memory has returned, Captain, I have remembered what Vigo was like when they brought him back into the room with me."

For some reason, Picard walked back to his seat and sat down stiffly. He knew he didn't want to hear what she had to say, but he looked up at her anyway…waiting.

"Vigo was screaming and flailing in the arms of the Malkatan guards, and was covered in blood," Zev continued. "He kept screaming: 'they made me do it, they made me do it!'"

"When the Malkatans left us alone, I asked Vigo what they made him do. And he looked at me and said 'I thought they were Malkatans…they all looked like Malkatans…I didn't mean to do it', and he cried and cried until he fell unconscious." She looked away. "I suppose that I blocked it out, because the meaning behind his words was too terrible for me to face. The Malkatans must have used their mind control to convince Vigo to kill our people. They thought it was a game…."

Picard brought his palms to his face. After an agonizing moment, he dropped his hands and shook his head. "I don't believe it. In fact, I _can't_ believe it. No."

"Then I hope and pray to my gods and yours that you are right, Captain. Because if Vigo did kill our people, no matter how buried it is within the other hallucinations he will eventually sort out what is real and what is not; and he _will_ remember. And there is no recovery from such a realization."

* * *

Just then the doors to the bridge hissed open and Vigo stepped through. He smiled and the skin around his eyes crinkled in a way that made him seem really happy, which was a nice change. It would have been less unsettling to see him smile so genuinely had they been discussing less morbid topics. He approached his station, still smiling. "There is nothing like a hot shower," he said, oblivious to the stares of Picard and Zev.

"Are you saying we finally have hot water on this ship? Because that would be a first," Picard added, attempting a jovial tone. The last thing he intended to do was set Vigo off again. If Vigo had killed the rest of the crew, he should undergo a court martial. But there would be no trial which in Picard's mind could fairly convict this man, knowing what he had been through—what he had been forced to do. But still he fought a wave of revulsion, just looking at his once trusted officer.

Vigo laughed in a bizarrely carefree way, and then frowned, looking down at the sensor controls. "Sir…we have an incoming ship."

Picard sat up straighter in his seat. "On screen," he ordered.

The view screen filled with the image of a very familiar ship. Picard pushed himself out of his seat. It was the strange crescent shaped ship that had lured them into the trap in the first place!

"Sensors read this is the same ship we encountered prior to being trapped in the net, Captain," reported Vigo excitedly.

"Sir, I think we are right to suspect that the ship that lured us must belong to the Ferengi who were collaborating with the Malkatans," said Zev. Her voice was calmer than Vigo's but the tense undercurrent in her voice matched the way Picard felt. Finally they had a legitimate target for their collective aggression.

Picard slammed his fist into his palm angrily. "Set in a course to intercept, ahead full impulse."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing! Peace out**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 **2367 The** ** _Aldrin_**

Data and Commander Obi stepped carefully into Dr. Mayer's quarters, phasers at the ready. A tight-lipped security officer followed them along with Geordi LaForge.

To say the least, things were in disarray. "Wow," quipped LaForge. "Looks like someone had a tantrum in here."

Commander Obi turned to give the engineer a decidedly threatening stare, but said nothing. " _Man, he looks like the athletic big brother I never had…and I'm sort of glad I never had,"_ thought LaForge. " _Because he kind of looks as though he wants to kick my ass right now."_

Patrick Obi turned back to Data. "That's CASU right there," said Patrick pointing to a nondescript metal box about a meter high, sitting next to a table.

"Ah," Data said simply, approaching the motionless object and scanning it with his tricorder.

"Looks more like a suitcase than a robot," Geordi said. He scanned the scientist's quarters with his VISOR and then his gaze fell on the table top next to CASU. "Nobody move," he said quickly pointing at a small object on the table.

The security officer took a step forward, but Commander Obi put a hand on the man's chest. "Didn't you hear LaForge? Stay still! Now what is it?" he demanded from Geordi.

Finally some support. "It's CASU's operating chip, from the looks of it…wouldn't you agree, Data?"

"Yes, Geordi. But I fail to see the reason for your heightened level of concern."

"That's because you don't see it like I do," Geordi said emphatically. "Someone pulled the chip from CASU knowing that to do so would trigger a self-destruct mechanism within CASU. CASU's control chip is also a detonator. I take it this is no typical robot," he added, looking at Obi.

"No, certainly not. Can we destroy it?" Obi asked. Patrick stared at the chip as though he hoped his gaze would make the problem go away. He couldn't believe that Johana Mayer would have been that desperate to not only risk herself to stop Captain Riker, but also to run the risk of killing anyone who tried to interfere with her. He had thought she cared about him, but perhaps not.

After all her talk about her father, she hadn't trusted him enough to confide in him about her plans to confront Riker. Not that he would have ever assisted her; in fact he would have done his best to stop her. But despite his disgust with what she had done, her failings now made her seem more human and attractive to him. It didn't make sense, but few things did lately.

"The chip?" Geordi replied. "No, not safely—I mean we could destroy it remotely, but we'd run the risk of destroying CASU in the process—along with this entire corridor," said Geordi.

" _Goddamn_ ," Obi ran his palm over the top of his short hair. "We can't leave it here either. It could blow when we least expect it."

"Sir, I recommend allowing me to attempt to disarm the self-destruct device."

"Data!" LaForge threw his hands up. "We can't let you risk yourself in that way."

"No one else is capable of disarming CASU, Geordi. And as Commander Obi has stated, to leave it here unattended would be just as dangerous."

Obi looked closely at Data. _"_ Data I recognize that I'm in command here, but I want this to be your choice. It's a very dangerous venture. And we can't afford to lose another talented officer like you."

"Thank you, Commander. But I accept the risks."

Obi nodded. "Very well then. Please proceed."

* * *

 **2367 In Earth's Orbit**

"All systems online and operating at optimal levels, Captain," reported Worf," apparently more than happy to be back at his old post.

"Thank you, Mr. Worf."

"What are you planning, Jean-Luc?" Mary asked him as he walked around the bridge of the Enterprise.

He felt as though there was a spring inside of him, and that if he simply focused it properly he could use the coiled energy to his advantage. Picard turned to regard his new unlikely crew mate, who stood alongside Worf. "I intend to use the Malkatan weapon Worf is holding in his hand- against the Malkatans in defense of the Earth."

"I thought you wanted to find Beverly and to see your child," she said.

"I do, and of course that plan hasn't changed at all," he said somewhat defensively. "And now that we have warp capability I will be able to leave and see her within hours instead of days. But I think we all agree we must make a stand against the Malkatans, and we must do so before they realize that we've recaptured one of our ships."

"What do you have in mind?" Worf asked, leaning over the railing. The deactivated Malkatan weapon sat next to him on top of the tactical station.

Picard gestured toward the small metallic ball which they all knew held a massive power. "We use that against the Malkatans. Do we have anything on board that can propel such a device?"

Worf harrumphed. "We can use it to arm a photon torpedo tube, Captain."

"Very good," agreed Picard. "Make it so. Meanwhile I shall see if I can de-attach the ship from the Malkatan plasma beams."

Worf nodded and grabbed the Malkatan weapon in his hand, while Picard walked up to take the tactical station.

Mary walked past him and knelt down beside the prone body of Captain Jellico. She looked up suddenly. "He's moving...he's alive, Jean Luc!"

"Good," said Picard. "There should be an emergency med kit on the wall to your right. Unfortunately that will have to be the extent of our medical assistance," he said studying the tactical panel. He knew he didn't sound very sympathetic to the fallen Captain Jellico. The fact was that he was not sympathetic in the least. He was no more understanding of Jellico, losing his ship and falling under the mind control of the Malkatan invaders, than he had been of himself months ago when he was abducted by the Borg and used as a pawn of destruction.

"Lucky for him physical his wounds don't seem so bad," Mary reported. "Not that you seem too concerned," she added pointedly, squinting up at him, as Jellico began to regain consciousness.

"I certainly hope he lives," Picard murmured, decidedly more interested in studying the tactical panel. The stream of plasma electricity that connected the Enterprise to the other eight starships under Malkatan control seemed less powerful than it had been prior to their ambush of the two Malkatans on the bridge. The other factor was Jellico…perhaps when he was released from the beam here on the bridge it had somehow affected the beam outside in space. He frowned, trying to puzzle through the problem.

Mary was now helping Jellico to sit up slowly. She propped him up against the base of the helm. His eyes remained closed so she turned back to Picard. "You know…I think I liked you better before we got back on your ship," she commented.

Picard looked up. "Pardon?"

Mary put her hands on her hips. "Down on Earth you were a real hero, getting into the dirt with everyone else…leading the way. And on the shuttle you declared your love for Beverly—showed some real emotion. But up here…well you're a real tight-ass. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Picard made a face. "Actually, _no_. At least… not to my face," he added slowly.

"Not even Beverly?"

Picard pursed his lips and rolled his eyes up at the ceiling. "No…not even Beverly."

"Well, trust me she's _thought_ it," the old woman assured him.

"Now look here—"

"You remind me of my second husband."

"Second? Not the first?" he quipped.

"Oh, he was something to look at, but the ego on that man! Well as you can imagine he was compensating for other deficiencies."

"I would rather not imagine what those might be, Mary, thank you," he said dryly.

"Suit yourself." Mary shook her head and returned to aiding the still dazed Captain Jellico.

Picard shook his head now that she was distracted again and turned back to his work. He typed a code into the computer quickly. The panel buzzed at him, denying him access again. _Dammit._ "Computer," he called out. "Do you recognize me?" he asked.

 **"** ** _You are currently catalogued as an unidentified human male, five feet ten inches tall, one hundred seventy-three pounds—"_**

" _Thank you_ , Computer. You may now substitute this profile for that of Captain Jean-Luc Picard."

The computer paused and he could feel Mary once again staring at him, this time with growing amusement. **"** ** _You are requesting to utilize the security profile of_** ** _Captain Jean-Luc Picard, commanding officer of the USS Stargazer NCC-2893 Constellation Class Star Cruiser reported missing in action in 2355 and presumed killed the same year at age thirty-six years, six months, thirteen days_** **."**

Picard took a deep breath, trying to access some degree of patience. "Yes," he said tightly.

 ** _"_** ** _Please place your palm on the nearest console. Accessing…accessing… acknowledged, Captain Picard. Welcome aboard."_**

"Thank you," he said. He quickly began to input data again, and was beginning to see a pattern in the energy fields tethering the ships together. And then the console buzzed at him again. He slammed his hand on the console. "Why—what is it now?" he demanded through clenched teeth.

 _"_ _ **Security access denied."**_

He angrily punched in an alternate code. **_"Access denied. The security profile you are attempting to use expired in 2355. Please contact Starfleet Security to update your security profile,"_** the computer informed him calmly. Picard spun and walked away in the opposite direction.

Walking to the wall, he tapped at the communications console. "Progress Mr. Worf?"

 _"Yes, sir…I believe your idea will work…in theory. However we will not be able to test it for obvious reasons as we only have one of these weapons to fire."_

Picard smiled. "That's fine, Worf. Good work. Please return to the bridge when you're finished."

 _"Aye sir."_

When he turned back around, he made eye contact with Mary. "Now was that really necessary?" she asked. "Making sure the ship's computer knows who you are?"

"Yes, of course it was necessary," he snapped.

"Are you sure it wasn't your ego getting in the way again, son? You can't stand that your beloved ship doesn't love you back, is that it?"

"No that is _not_ it! And can't you see that I am trying to work here?"

She snorted. "Son, if you think _I'm_ distracting, just wait until your kids are running all over this bridge, asking to be picked up while you are trying to map a star system, or whatever it is you usually do on these ships, when you're not fighting Malkatans."

Picard went pale. "Kids?"

"Oh… I understand you think you're just having one baby. That's how it _always_ starts," she said. "But before you know it, Captain you are going to be changing one baby's diapers while your two year old bangs you on the knee with a broken data pad, over and over…."

"Don't be silly," said Picard quickly, but he could feel a stress headache coming on.

"Once you're married, now that is when the real fun starts. If you or Beverly want advice son, just ask me. I've been through it five times."

Jean-Luc let his arms drop to his sides. "Marriage?" He stared at her. Would Beverly even want to be married to him? He hadn't even considered it. He had been so busy with planning on how to overcome the Malkatans and also manage to find Beverly that he had hardly considered what would happen once the baby was born, much less anything after that. Perhaps it was understandable since he continued to phase and his life seemed always to hang in the balance.

In addition, the more time he spent with Mary the more he wondered how she had convinced someone to marry her, not just once but five times. He remembered the popcorn. He should have known when she pulled out the bag of popcorn and when she made instant friends with Data's hell cat, that she was trouble. But suddenly he was snapped out of his pre-parental anxiety by the groans of Captain Jellico.

Picard left his station and walked toward Mary and her now waking patient. Suddenly Jellico's eyes snapped open and looked at him unfocused. "Who the hell are you, and what are you doing on my ship?" Captain Jellico demanded groggily.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Ten minutes later after arguing with a still groggy Jellico and enduring Mary's many interruptions, concerning various topics such as how he could possibly be the real Captain Picard who had disappeared at Maxia twelve years earlier, or who should be in charge of the _Enterprise_ now given their equal ranks, Picard decided he had better things to do and he turned on his heel and went into Captain Jellico's ready room; much to Jellico's annoyance.

As he seated himself at Jellico's desk, he took a deep breath. His last message to Beverly had been sent from the run down shuttle when he was still on Earth. By now, he hoped she had reunited with Riker and was safe on board the _Aldrin_. Had she received his message? He'd sent it on a subspace loop just in case the connection was cut. He didn't mind that she hadn't returned his call yet. Of course they had both been so busy. But he worried.

Now, trying again, he was relieved to be able to find the _Aldrin_ and establish a subspace link right away because the ship wasn't moving. He frowned to himself, wondering why they were still located in the Maxia system. The link-up took a moment and then a good looking chocolate skinned man appeared on the small view screen. He was looking down into the screen apparently from a command chair on a well-lit bridge.

" _Enterprise_?" the man said, clearly surprised to be receiving a message from Earth.

"Yes…this is Captain Picard."

To Picard's surprise the man got up from his seat. "Sir, Commander Patrick Obi here, acting Captain of the _USS Aldrin_. It's an honor to meet you, Captain Picard."

Picard smiled. "Likewise, Commander. Ah…but you did say _acting_ Captain. Captain Riker is well I hope?"

Obi gave him a half smile and muttered something to someone next to him off screen. He nodded at the person. "He is sir," Obi said, turning back to the screen to face Picard. "But I have someone here you are more familiar with, Captain. Perhaps she can better explain the situation to you. I will send your transmission directly to the ready room, and she'll take it in there."

"Thank you," said Picard. He held his breath until the screen flickered again and a new face appeared. But it was Deanna, not Beverly.

Picard felt his heart do a flip of sorts. Where was Beverly. "Counselor," he said. "It has been too long," he said still extremely pleased to see this wonderful woman.

"Much too long, Captain," she agreed with a wide smile. "But you were hoping to see Beverly."  
"Oh," he said, trying to remain casual and professional at the same time. "Oh it's quite alright, Counselor."

Deanna's smile remained, but there was something in her eyes that made his heart stop doing flips and drop.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I trust that the baby is alright…."

"Captain, there have been… developments recently which required Beverly and Will to travel again into the past."

He reached his hand out to take hold of a tricorder on the desk, and he watched his own knuckles turn pale as his grip tightened around it. He struggled now to keep his tone even and steady. "What? What kind of developments?"

She hesitated. "Jean-Luc…Bok found out that you had reappeared and he re-entered the past to…to kill your former self. And so—"

"No!" He picked up the tricorder and smashed it into two pieces on the desk as he stood to his feet. "Counselor Troi I _demand_ to know how you could permit Beverly to do such a thing. You are her _friend_. You know that she is pregnant, and how could you—how could you…how could _she_ do such a thing?" He dropped back down into his chair. He stared into the screen and then pushed his chair back violently and covered his face with his hands. He turned away from her and for the first time since she had known him she believed that he might cry. He sat like that for half a minute while she looked on with empathy, saying nothing. But then eventually he turned back to her having composed himself, somehow having pushed any sign of tears back inside. It was an amazing show of control that perhaps was much more sad than an outpouring of emotion would have been. "Forgive me, Counselor."

Deanna smiled gently. "On the contrary, Captain, please forgive me. Perhaps you are right and I should have done more to stop her from going."

Picard shook his head, obviously still outraged, but again he kept it under control, just on the edge. "No, if there is one thing I know about Beverly Crusher it is that she makes her own decisions. She does what she believes is right. But somehow she's forgotten in this instance that what is right could very well kill her. And our child."

"Captain I—"

"No Troi, I have to go," he said. "I have business here on Earth. But I will rendezvous with the Aldrin in about 24 hours. If Beverly returns before then please ask her to contact me."

Deanna had barely nodded her assent before Picard cut the connection and the screen went blank. "I will say a prayer for the souls of any Malkatans he encounters today," she said quietly.

 **The** ** _Aldrin_**

"How are you doing, Wes?"

Wesley Crusher glanced up to see Geordi standing in the doorway of the nearly deserted mess hall. He shrugged and then looked back down at his uneaten plate of food.

"Want to help us put Humpty Dumpty back together again? Might cheer you up…." Geordi attempted to sound as cheery as possible, but in truth he was exhausted. Data had successfully deactivated CASU's auto self-destruct mechanism but now they had to reprogram the robot and they still had so much work ahead of them.

Wesley looked up at his friend with distracted irritation. "Humpty Dumpty?"

Geordi sighed inwardly. He had hoped this might be easier, but he could see that Wesley was really down. He couldn't blame the kid. _First_ , thought Geordi to himself, _we lose the Enterprise just months ago… Captain Picard disappears without a trace…then Wesley receives a creepy visit from his old friend the Traveler while catching up on some late night studying…then he comes out here to try and bring back the Capt_ ain, _only to be left behind and confused by the Traveler…then his mom gets pregnant after visiting Captain Picard in the past, the same Picard who we're now trying to save again for fear that his disappearance from 2355 will mean he would be gone forever…and again Wesley has been left behind._ So yeah, Geordi supposed the kid might be slightly depressed.

"By Humpty Dumpty I meant CASU," said Geordi, walking over to the table. "We found it deactivated in Dr. Mayer's quarters. Looks like she de-programmed it completely. And Data had to disarm a self-destruct program. We aren't sure if she shut it down because she thought she might die preventing Captain Riker from saving Captain Picard…or maybe she just didn't want CASU to intervene, but somehow she believes she won't exist in the old timeline—I mean the one we _used_ to live in." He sighed. "You know this whole timeline thing is confusing as hell. I'm starting to wonder which one any of us belong in."

Wesley was still staring at the tabletop as though transfixed.

"Wes?" Geordi had seen his young friend like this before; when he was trying to work out a problem that no one else could possibly figure out.

"We're caught in a continuous loop," Wesley said as though speaking to someone in his head.

LaForge nodded. "I know, it sure seems like it, doesn't it?"

Wesley looked up at him and his eyes looked a little clearer. "No, I'm serious Geordi…we're in a continuous loop. Nothing we do to save the Captain is working, because the outcome will always be the same…eventually he'll disappear and the Malkatans will still be here." He got up from his seat angrily. "My Mom went back in time for nothing, Geordi. And she and the baby could die!"

"Look, buddy, I _know_ you're having a hard time with this, but—"

"Geordi…we have to find the exact point in time when everything got messed up. That is the _only_ way to ensure that the timeline is corrected and everything goes back to normal."

Geordie raised his eyebrows. "Is it just as simple as preventing Bok from traveling into the past and meeting the Malkatans in the first place? I mean, do we just have to find a way to make sure that the Picard maneuver happens no matter what?"

"That's what I thought at first," said Wesley, sounding extremely frustrated. "But what's to stop Bok from finding some other way to travel to the past and kill the Captain? Even if we found a way to make sure that Captain Picard can defeat the Ferengi ship that attacked the Stargazer in 2355—even if everything happens like it's supposed to, the motivation for Bok's vengeance will still be there, and he's so crazy he would try something like this again. There has to be more to this Geordi…I just know it."

Geordi stood there somewhat uncomfortably. He wasn't a counselor, but he knew Wesley and knew he was reasoning through the situation, and that doing so was helping open up his mind. So he just listened.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

* * *

"You know the worst thing about it, Geordi? I keep wondering what will happen to the baby. If the timeline changes will my little sister or brother still be around? I couldn't live with myself if I was to cause something like that to happen. How could I face Mom?"

LaForge put a reassuring hand on Wesley's shoulder. "You keep thinking about the problem, Wes. But try to remember this isn't just your responsibility to figure this out. We're all in this together."

Wesley nodded and looked at his friend. "I know."

LaForge attempted an encouraging smile. "So, while you ponder the mysteries of time and space, we're reprogramming CASU—"

"For what reason?" Wes asked. There was a tone to his voice and a seriousness in his expression that challenged Geordi to state a real purpose for his project, not just to provide a clever way to distract Wesley for a few hours.

"Data thinks-and I agree, that we've retrieved enough of the neutralizer data from the runabout's files to re-create one. But more interestingly, we'd like to try and fuse the neutralizer technology with CASU's programming."

Wesley looked surprised but intrigued. "CASU is able to fly, right?"

"Sure, and it can deploy weapons as well. So what would you say if we had a neutralizer that could fly, take direction from us remotely and could even attack a Malkatan convoy using the neutralizer to make the enemy's weapons obsolete?"

"I'd say that would be pretty bad-ass," conceded Wesley with a slow grin.

"You know that's exactly what I said to Data, and he just looked at me."

* * *

 **2355 Maxia**

"Drop the weapons and put your hands up slowly," said a high pitched voice behind them. Apparently the universal translator built into his combadge couldn't make voices sound more attractive.

Riker sighed and glanced behind him before complying. _Shit._ There were six Ferengi, well-armed. Well, at least they had made it up to the bridge. The one with the girlish voice shoved a disruptor in his back and then pushed Beverly. "Easy!" Riker protested. He dropped his phaser and nodded for Beverly to do the same.

"By the gods of profit, they _are_ hideous," said one of the Ferengi.

"And huge too. What are they?" asked another.

"Is this a female?" said one, fingering a strand of Beverly's hair. "Why does she wear clothing? How perverted!"

The leader eyed Kad, moving around to the front and noting the restraints that bound Kad to Riker. "And who are you, you little piece of tree dwelling scree dung?"

"Kad he knows you _so_ well," Riker murmured.

Kad pointed up at Riker with his free hand. " _He_ is an evil hairy giant of an alien who has taken me prisoner, and this female is of the most brazen type. Not only is she also a giant, but she is constantly insulting me, and as you can see, she wears clothing—have you ever seen such depravity? I demand that you shoot them at once!"

The lead Ferengi sneered. "I asked you who you are, not for the long version of your life story! Now I know for a fact that you don't belong on board this ship, Ferengi or no. And I can assure you that we will shoot these aliens, and you as well unless Brom can make a profit by keeping you around."

"Take us to Brom," Beverly said suddenly. She had been quietly sizing up the situation. "We have a proposition for him. Very profitable," she added casually.

Kad sputtered next to her, but the lead Ferengi slapped him across the face. "You stain the name of your clan by falling in league with these creatures," he mocked Kad. "My name is Bero," he said looking at Beverly. "Where I come from females do not involve themselves in profitable endeavors, because they are too stupid to do so. But I can see that your alien ways will make you of interest to my commander. So yes…we will go and see Brom."

* * *

The bridge of Brom's ship was a flurry of activity as they were pushed onto it. For the moment the unexpected visitors went unnoticed, because all eyes were on the front view screen.

Riker and Beverly watched with barely contained agitation as the view screen filled with a grey and battered looking Starfleet vessel, equipped with four nacelles.

Riker, despite their predicament, broke into a broad grin. "I can't believe I am here and seeing this in person," he said, looking over at Beverly. But his smile faded as he saw that her eyes while also fixed on the view screen were filled with tears. Of course she had seen the _Stargazer_ many times before Bok had brought it back to the Enterprise three years ago. She had seen it, set foot on it; even lived on it for a brief time.

"Heading?" Brom demanded.

"They're headed directly for us on an intercept course," his weapons master reported.

"Raise our shields. And when they get in range, fire at will," Brom said waving his hand lazily.

"No!" Beverly suddenly shouted. All eyes turned to regard her. Brom nearly fell out of his chair, but Bok's reaction at seeing not only Beverly but Kad, sent him over the edge.

"Kill them!" he screamed, rushing them, but Bero stepped in front of the visitors leveling his disruptor at Bok's chest.

"Not yet," said Bero. "Not until we hear what deal they are offering," he said. "Now sit back down."

Suddenly the ship shook violently. "They are firing on us!"

"An unprovoked attack!" Bok shouted. "Now you see your Picard is not noble...he is treacherous in action!" Bok yelled at Riker and Beverly as though now vindicated. Riker grabbed Beverly, supporting her and they quickly made their way to a place to sit. They gripped the railing, still fixated on the events unfolding on the screen.

"Fire!" screamed Brom.

"They increased speed and then slowed, sir," said the weapons master.

"What is he doing? Are they retreating?" Brom asked no one in particular.

The stargazer had slowed, and suddenly spun 180 degrees in a peculiar move so that the nacelles were now pointing toward them.

Shouts erupted on the bridge. "They are escaping!"

"It's from right out of one of my Academy textbooks," Riker murmured, now gaping at the screen. _Uh oh._ The starship which had hesitated, suddenly put on a burst of speed, flying backwards, now firing from its aft phaser banks at them. The deck shook underneath them again.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Brom and Bok screamed at the same time.

"Get out of his way, Picard is a lunatic," Brom shouted, as the _Stargazer_ shot overhead, just clearing the hull of the Ferengi marauder.

"He's coming around for another pass."

Riker gripped Beverly's hand and he saw she had shut her eyes and was biting her bottom lip. _We are on the wrong damn ship,_ he thought just before things got much worse.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

* * *

Riker suddenly leapt to his feet and ran up behind the Ferengi posted at the helm. He could just feel the hands holding disruptors swing his way, but he didn't care. "What is the matter with you, don't you know how to fly this thing?" he demanded, laying a heavy hand on the nervous pilot's shoulder. "Get out of my way if you want to live," he shouted when the Ferengi growled at him in response. But very quickly the young officer's eyes seemed to register that he understood, and he allowed Riker to push him away without too much resistance.

Riker sat down quickly, and was immediately reminded that he'd never actually flown a Ferengi ship. Thankfully the controls appeared translatable. He set a course of retreat, hoping that Captain Picard, being the reasonable man that he was would decide to call off his attack. But then again…he had fired first.

"What is that alien doing?" yelled Brom. "Get him away from the controls!" Armed officers ran toward Riker, but Beverly suddenly stood in their way and turned to Brom.

"He _trying_ to save all of our lives," she asserted as the ship rolled under her feet and she grabbed for a railing. "Can't you see he's going to kill us all?" Her eyes returned to the view screen with a silent plea. _Please Jean Luc, don't kill us all...  
_

* * *

"Captain," shouted Zev, as the bridge was struck directly by a plasma torpedo, "our shields are failing sir. They have a weapon that appears to be able to sap our shield strength."  
Picard didn't turn around from the helm controls even as his nose filled with the smoke that began to billow from overhead. He coughed. Battle was challenging enough, but with only three crew members there was so little margin for error. "Put out that fire first and then attend to the shields," he ordered her sharply.

A few moments later he heard her using the fire suppressant spray at the back of the bridge.

"Vigo, target the stern of that ship, let's slow it down," he barked.

"Aye sir, firing!"

* * *

Beverly felt her stomach drop when she saw a blast from their ship strike the top of the Stargazer and a burst of red showed an explosion. Jean-Luc was on that bridge. Was he injured?

The Ferengi bridge erupted in cheers.

"We have scored a direct hit to their bridge! Their shields have been severely compromised," Bero shouted triumphantly patting the weapons master on the back. "It is only a matter of time now until our names are written into the history books..."

"There are a hell of a lot of dead people in history books," Beverly reminded him and then staggered as a blast shook the ship.  
A second later the ship shook again more violently this time and Beverly struggled to stay upright as she made her way toward Brom's command chair. She had simply had enough of this.  
"What is that female doing?" a suspicious officer asked pointing his weapon toward Beverly as she walked past him.

"Ignore her!" Bero screamed. "Attend to your duties, she does not matter."

The ship shook again. "Daimon, they've struck us from behind….and our aft propulsion cylinder has been damaged by their fire," reported the weapons master.

"He really slowed us down with that one," Riker shouted trying to maneuver the ship away from the Stargazer which was now barreling toward them at a high rate of speed. "And I've lost some control over pitch here," he added, now sweating bullets. If he had ever imagined what it might be like to meet Picard in his prime, this particular scenario had never really crossed his mind.

Beverly grabbed the arms of Brom's command chair and swung him around roughly to face her. "You _need_ to surrender... _now_!"


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

* * *

Brom seemed to freeze, and his eyes bulged up at her.

Kad rushed over to interfere. "Don't listen to her, she is in league with Picard," Kad screamed into Brom's other ear.

"He's a madman," Brom whispered pointing at the screen.

" _You_ made him that way!" she replied. "And especially you..." She glared at Kad accusingly and then turned back to Brom still gripping his chair. "Look, I _am_ in league with him...I understand the way his mind works; at least I did until you both saw to it that he was captured and abused."

She took a deep breath and attempted to not let her emotions get the best of her. "And that's why I know that the _only_ way to get through to him now and call this whole thing off is for you to surrender. He'll understand that and he will stop trying to kill us. He's a good man…he's not a bully. Not like your father!"

Brom's eyes bulged slightly less, but still he hesitated. His assistant Bero was now at his side glaring at Beverly skeptically. "Was _that_ supposed to be the deal you were offering?"

Beverly glanced at Bero. The truth was when she had gotten them on the bridge and closer to Brom by saying she had a proposition for him, she had only been thinking on her feet. And she certainly hadn't had any real deal in mind. "What is more profitable than escaping with your lives?" she asked them in a measured voice.

Bero grinned. "Well…I hardly think that we are finished yet-"

"Daimon! The attacking ship has disappeared!"

Beverly whirled to look at the view screen, and saw with horror and confusion that only the stars and the blackness in between them were now visible.

* * *

Having extinguished the fire on the bridge, Zev had returned to her station and skillfully began monitoring and repairing the ship's systems to the best of her abilities. "Captain, I've boosted shield strength somewhat, but if we sustain another hit to the top of our bridge, quite simply the three of us will be dead."

Picard turned his head slightly to the side to look at his first officer. She was covered in soot and looked exhausted, but she carried on. And for what? But then an image of General Unh's mocking and sadistic features played through his mind and he grew determined again.

* * *

"We're not going to die," he promised. "At least not yet." The Ferengi vessel appeared to be retreating, but surely the enemy now knew the Stargazer's weaknesses. And they would target those, whether on the run or not. He also noted with some concern that the Ferengi pilot seemed to have improved his skills considerably within the last minutes. No matter… if the top of the ship was compromised there were ways to protect it.

"They're targeting the bridge again!"

* * *

"Everyone hang on," he warned them. He threw the ship into stomach-turning spin, bringing it upside down and then gave it a burst of speed sending the ship underneath the belly of the Ferengi vessel. "Fire all weapons," he shouted back at Vigo.

* * *

It turned out that the _Stargazer_ hadn't actually disappeared—instead it had simply flown beneath Brom's marauder. "Daimon they're underneath us, strafing our underbelly!" The marauder shook and there was a frightening creaking sound emanating from the ship's hull. Beverly decided at this point that she was just better off sitting down on the deck. She glanced over at Riker who looked pale and worn out. She turned her attention back to the view screen and saw the Stargazer shoot out from underneath them, weapons still firing, and _upside down_. She looked at Will again and this time they made eye contact. If they didn't either stop this now or get off the ship it was clear they would perish.

"Our engineer is reporting an inner hull breach and our propulsion systems have been shocked. We won't have full power for another hour, Daimon," Bero said, finally beginning to sound as if he was willing to admit defeat.

Riker stood up. "Enough of this, Brom! We're dead in the water."

Beverly got to her feet and put her hand on the back of Brom's chair. Her hand other shook as she brought it up to her face and she watched the Stargazer shoot away and turn upright again. _Jean-Luc, what are you doing?_ Tears flooded her eyes and she looked down at Brom. "Cant' you see we're out of options?"Brom stood up. "Extend the neck. Show them that we intend to surrender."

"But Daimon," Kad interjected."Do it!" Brom shouted.

Riker walked forward. From his minimal experience with the Ferengi he knew that to "extend the neck" meant that the Ferengi were exposing the weak areas of the ship, by literally and mechanically extending the forward nose of the ship. But it also looked quite menacing from an outsider's point of view. Young Jean-Luc Picard had no frame of reference and therefore, might take it the wrong way.

"That's not going to be enough, Brom," he said. "You're going to have to hail him and signal your surrender." Brom nodded to Bero, who reluctantly moved to the communications station and began typing.

* * *

"Captain," announced Zev. "The Ferengi are signaling their surrender. The message states: 'Daimon Brom humbly request that our two mighty vessels now share in the acquisition of peace with deliberate calculation for the mutual benefit of our material wealth'."

"Huh? I don't even know what the hell that _means_ ," Picard responded gruffly. But he allowed his back muscles to relax somewhat at the ship's controls. He pondered their situation. They might have a slight tactical advantage at this point, but there was no telling how long that would last. The Ferengi's armaments seemed slightly superior, and their technology was at least equal to theirs by the looks of it. At best they had a stalemate.

"Captain, you can't possibly be considering surrender," Vigo exclaimed from tactical. "They are crippled."

Picard let his hands drop from the console, but he didn't turn back to look at Vigo. He closed his eyes and a voice rang in his head. _"We will be together again like this in the future, Jean-Luc…I promise you."_ He had something to live for, even if she rejected him, if only he could just see her again. And when he saw her, how could he face her knowing that he had destroyed the ship hanging in front of him? He was better than that. He was still capable of showing mercy. He opened his eyes again. "Since when do we destroy defenseless ships, Vigo?" he said. "Zev, signal our acceptance of their surrender. Tell them that any further acts of aggression against Starfleet personnel will be considered an act of war." he said.

"Aye sir," Zev answered, sending the transmission quickly.

"No!" Vigo shouted. "Not after what they did to our people. They are responsible for the deaths of our comrades!"

 _He still hasn't remembered._ Picard took a deep breath, still staring at his helm console. "No, Vigo…the Malkatans are responsible. We cannot continue to destroy everything in our path motivated by blind vengeance. When will the killing stop?"

"Traitor!" Vigo suddenly screamed, leaping over the railing and rushing Picard.

"Captain!" Zev tried to warn him, but Vigo was on him so swiftly, bringing one arm around Picard's neck in a choke hold. The Captain brought his arm back to try and rake at Vigo's eyes; Vigo squeezed and with his other hand brought a sharp knife to Picard's neck. Picard whipped his hand out and grabbed Vigo's wrist trying with all of his might to push Vigo's arm away from his throat. But Vigo was in a superior position, and he had leverage as he crouched behind the seated Picard. Vigo pointed the knife inward as trembling limbs strained against one another.

Picard choked and tried to lower his chin, narrowing the target for Vigo. His vision was growing hazy as he felt the cool blade begin to sink into his neck. And then abruptly he was released, and fell forward, gasping and clutching his neck.

He fell to the deck and turned expecting Vigo to pounce. Instead he saw Zev standing above a fallen Vigo. She had slammed him with the handle of her phaser, saving Picard's life and knocking Vigo cold.

Picard staggered to his feet, lightheaded, and brought his palm to his neck.

"Captain…are you alright?" Zev asked, noting that his neck was covered in blood, but the cut wasn't too deep. Thankfully…because a little to the left and the Captain would have been dead.

Picard wiped at the blood on his neck and nodded. "Beam him to the brig. I can't look at him anymore," he coughed, barely able to speak.

"Yes sir," she said, moving away to comply with his order.

* * *

Beverly looked around the marauder bridge, and her heart suddenly grew cold. Where was he? "Where's Bok?" she demanded out loud.

Riker's expression mirrored her own renewed fears. They had all lost track of Daimon Bok during the battle. He looked at Bero questioningly, who shrugged, but then checked the computer sensors. "Bok isn't on this ship anymore," he confirmed, glancing up at Riker.

Riker was operating completely out of desperation at this point. He swiftly snapped his handcuffs back on Kad's wrist; grabbed Bero's disruptor from his holster and pointed it at Brom's head. "We're going over to that ship, and we're taking Brom with us," he said quickly. "Once we know Picard is alright, we'll beam the Daimon back over." He glared at Bero, who glared back at him. "Beam us over, Bero. _Now!"_

* * *

As he stood there applying pressure to the cut on his neck and his bruised trachea, Picard looked up in surprise as the doors to the bridge hissed open. There stood a Ferengi. By this point, Jean-Luc had only seen one Ferengi in person. There was Kad…whom he had seen down on the Malkatan base, just before he'd been shot—and then there was the hazy memory of a Ferengi who had been talking to General Unh on the view screen.

Was this the same individual? Still, beyond his dim and unreliable memories, the Ferengi was unfamiliar to him personally, and yet the alien seemed to know Picard very well. And judging by the disruptor now leveled at Picard's chest as he walked in, this Ferengi didn't think of Picard in a friendly way. But that was fine, because Picard wasn't in a friendly mood either.

"Captain Picard, we meet again…and for the last time," said Bok.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

* * *

"Go!" Riker ordered, prodding Brom forward and dragging Kad along by the wrist restraints as he and Beverly rushed toward the bridge of the _Stargazer_. Bero hadn't beamed them directly to the bridge, perhaps on purpose, or perhaps because he hadn't known any better.

Riker had trouble navigating the dark corridors, but at one crucial point, Beverly had exclaimed "over there!" and had pointed to a turbo lift. Her memory of this old ship had steered them in the right direction, and they drew ever closer to their goal. Silently they both hoped that they would not be too late, as Bok had a considerable head start.

"You had no right to kidnap me from my ship," Brom protested.

"Did you think when you helped Bok and Kad trap the _Stargazer_ that you would simply get away with it?" Beverly demanded.

"I told you, I had no idea who Picard was, or why my father was so obsessed with him," Brom answered sullenly.

"Oh yes, you did," Kad heckled him. "Don't believe him!"

"Shut up, you filthy swamp weasel," Brom snarled. "Just wait until the future, when I see to it that you pay for your betrayal."

"Which betrayal? You've got more than one to choose from," said Beverly, trying to distract herself from the nervous thrumming of her heart as they rushed to locate Jean-Luc. She didn't know what she would do if Bok had harmed him.

"Betra _yals_ then!" Brom clarified.

"It's my pleasure to inform you both," said Riker. "That the future's just been changed-again. We _all_ changed it. So my hope is that you both end up penniless in the future, since that's apparently the only kind of punishment that would ever matter to you."

* * *

The Ferengi continued to stand there glaring at him. "You say we've met before," said Jean-Luc, still pressing his palm to his throat. "Where?" His voice had already gone hoarse from Vigo's attack, and swallowing was pure agony. But although it now seemed he was far from being out of danger, he felt oddly calm.

Picard glanced over at Zev who had her phaser pointed at the intruder. He nodded for her to lower it, and although her eyes flashed with anger, she complied, but did not let go of the weapon, just dropped her hand. Bok seemed focused like a laser on Picard, and didn't seem concerned about Zev in the slightest.

"I am Bok. And you are responsible for _great_ crimes against me, Picard. And now I will see you beg for your life."

 _Bok?_ That voice came back to him in that moment… _The deal was that you would kill Picard._ Yes! The Ferengi on the view screen, conversing with General Unh down on the Malkatan base.

Picard dropped his hand from his neck loosely, and noticed Bok flinch ever so slightly. "Oh is that so?" he asked, his voice calm, measured. He had been at the mercy of this Ferengi before. But not again. _Never_ again. "And what crimes might those be?" Picard asked, beginning to walk slowly toward Bok.

"It was in another time and place," Bok sputtered. "But I have seen to it that you will pay!"

Zev watched with muted alarm as Picard approached unarmed from the lower level, walking slowly up to Bok's level, one step at a time. She gripped her phaser tighter, but would obey the Captain's order until he seemed at greater risk. Still she wished that he would not put himself in harm's way. Surely between the two of them they could overtake this Ferengi.

"But…if I committed these crimes, then why don't I remember having done so?" Picard asked curiously. Mounting the stairs, he stopped just out of the reach of Bok's disruptor barrel.

Bok shifted his feet, but kept the gun pointed at Picard's chest. "I do not recommend that you step any closer to me, Picard," Bok said with a nasty smile.

Picard stood still, watching Bok for a moment, but then tilted his head. "Or what? You'll shoot me? Well isn't that why you've come here to my ship? Why don't you try?"

Bok blinked. "You are very strange, Picard. Perhaps you do not comprehend the gravity of your predicament."

"Oh, I think I do," Picard answered, taking another step forward. "Mr. Bok…do you know how long it has been since I've slept?" Picard asked him quietly. "Five days," he offered, when Bok remained silent. "You see, I am being kept awake by nightmares of my crew being slaughtered. And I may never sleep well again."

He walked even closer, and Bok's gaze dropped briefly to his disruptor and then back up at Picard. "That doesn't come as any surprise to you does it? Was that part of your revenge? Destroying my crew?"

Bok's eyes glinted. "Then you know who I am after all...good."

Picard smiled coldly. "But I haven't given you the reaction you wanted, have I, Bok? I'm not groveling for my life yet."

"At least you know me," Bok stuttered. "You will understand that it is I who has beaten you," he jeered.

"I know your type," answered Jean Luc. "I know that you are the type to lure an unsuspecting ship into a trap, and to allow others to do your dirty work for you. But you're not the type to kill me yourself. In fact, I can tell just looking at you that you don't have the stomach for it."

"Picard, you underestimate me!"

Jean-Luc walked closer until the barrel of the disrupter was pressed into his chest. He deliberately leaned in toward Bok, challenging the Ferengi to hold his ground. He pointed to his neck. "You see this?"

Bok looked at Picard's neck covered in mottled bruises and blood, but said nothing.

"A man who used to be my friend did this to me," he said, and his voice was barely a whisper. "So do you think I am actually afraid of anything you could possibly do to me? You see I'm very tired of these games you have been playing with me and my crew for weeks. Very tired indeed."

His hand slowly closed around the barrel of the gun. "I think your chance to kill me has passed, don't you Bok? I am holding your weapon and I'm within arm's length of you. I am bigger and stronger than you and I would bet that I can overpower you."

Bok shook his head viciously from side to side. "But I am quicker and my finger is on the trigger."

Picard laughed suddenly, and Bok blinked, apparently not expecting such an utterance from this disturbed human. Clearly the Malkatan's had done permanent damage to this human's psyche.

Jean-Luc abruptly let go of the gun and turned around, facing away from Bok and Zev. "I'm going to give you thirty seconds, Bok," he said quietly. "Thirty seconds to call your ship and have them beam you off of my bridge," he said turning back around to look at Bok.

Bok was still pointing his weapon, but his hand was shaking wildly as though it had grown too heavy. This burden of chasing Picard _had_ become very heavy.

"I will not leave, until I see you pay, Picard-"

" _Twenty_ seconds," Zev interrupted, apparently having decided that someone needed to keep count.

"What are you going to do when you're thirty seconds is up, Picard? I have the weapon, therefore I have the advantage!"

Picard stood looking at his enemy almost placidly, but said nothing. At his side, his hand flexed into a fist and then loosened again.

" _Five_ seconds," Zev said, and there was a mocking tone to her proud voice as she watched Bok.

Furious, Bok swung the disruptor in her direction looking away from Picard for the first time. Picard grasped Bok's wrist and bent it at an unnatural angle, forcing a pained cry from the Ferengi and causing him to drop the gun to the deck with a clatter. In a second smooth movement, Picard hauled off and punched Bok in the face as hard as he could. The Ferengi immediately crumpled to the deck unconscious. Picard straightened, still looking down at Bok. He shook his stinging hand once. "Time's up," he said softly.

* * *

Suddenly filled with a deep exhaustion, Picard had started to walk away from Zev and back toward the command center, when there was a commotion at the turbo lift. Four individuals shoved their way onto the bridge, and then the narrow world that was his bridge slowed down. Two Ferengi prisoners and two humans; a tall man with a beard and dark hair, and…and...

"Jean-Luc!" He heard his own name spill from her lips, and then he felt a wave of vertigo pass over him. His vision went grey.

Zev slowly lowered her phaser in astonishment even as Riker held his hands up letting her know he wasn't a threat. But Zev wasn't looking at Riker. "Beverly Crusher…gods it was true all along," her voice caught in her throat with emotion and she put a hand to her chest.

Zev was still pointing at Beverly with growing euphoria as she looked over at the Captain for his reaction. Zev watched as he fell to his knees, and the upper half of his body swayed as his eyes began to roll back in his head. His mouth moved but no words came out. Jean-Luc brought his hands up in an attempt to cover his face, and then he collapsed face first unconscious.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

 **2367 Eight months ago…**

It was 3 a.m. Wesley hadn't been able to sleep, so he'd gone to Ten Forward. His mother had come home to fall into bed in her room less than an hour before. They had both been awake and yet had been too tired to talk. He now regretted not having tried; the chances to connect with her were so few and far between. It seemed like it had been days since they had truly had a chance to talk to each other. In fact it _had_ been days.

In the less than two weeks since Captain Picard had been recaptured from the Borg, Wesley's mother had almost never left her post. Of course she had been in sick bay, with her surgical staff spending seemingly endless hours in surgery painstakingly removing implants from the Captain's body. The process was clearly wearing on her-and it would have been this way even if she had not cared so much about her patient.

Thanks to a brief few moments of venting from his mother this evening, Wesley had learned that earlier in the day the Captain had actually gotten into an argument with a nurse who was merely trying to prepare him for surgery to remove the final implants from his right leg. Eventually, according to his mother, Captain Picard had acquiesced to allowing the nurse to finish prepping him for the surgery, but not after continuing his grumbling.

However, according to his mom, shortly after the procedure was over and while still in recovery, the Captain refused to be physically handled by anyone, openly citing his displeasure at the amount of time each of these procedures were taking. He then announced so that everyone could hear, that all of his necessary parts were now functioning normally; at least well enough to resume bridge duty. Such an outburst was definitely out of character for Picard, which indicated to Wesley how anxious the Captain must be to return to work and also perhaps owing to some very strong anesthesia which had not yet worn off.

"He always has to be in control, and he never abandons hope that I will turn around and he will be able to sneak out of sick bay. He is _by_ far _the_ _ **worst**_ patient I have ever had," his mother had declared before venturing into the bathroom to take a shower. Wesley knew that over the years his mother had anointed more than a few people with the title of "Worst Patient Ever", and he also knew that if she was that annoyed with the Captain it was very likely he really was getting well enough to return to duty. But Wesley was wise enough not to say such a thing.

For his part, Wesley hadn't seen the Captain for days. He simply refused to be seen by anyone other than counselor Troi and the staff in sick bay. Commander Riker had been tight-lipped and protective about the whole thing, calling one single staff meeting in which he confirmed that the Captain's physical and mental recovery would "take time".

Wesley knew it was not fair of him, but he continued to believe that the Captain was as impervious to harm as he had always been. It was an easy view to hold, because he hadn't seen the Captain enough to think differently. But Wesley, like everyone else now knew exactly what had happened to the Captain on the Borg ship. Soon he would return to full duty on the bridge, and things would return to the way they had been before the Borg's barely thwarted invasion. At least, that is what Wesley hoped would happen.

* * *

Wesley stopped short just inside Ten Forward. The three dimensional chess set was sitting on one of the tables closest to the view port. All of the pieces were in place. He knew Guinan had left the game for him in an unspoken pact they shared. She knew that when Wesley had insomnia playing chess was sometimes what helped his mind work itself through whatever the distraction was until he was ready to drift off to sleep. Guinan wasn't around, but his eyes locked on a familiar figure standing next to the table, staring fixedly out of the viewport at the stars.

Although his hands were draped behind his back almost casually, the man did not move, and his shoulders and posture remained overly stiff, almost as though he were practicing standing as straight as possible. But then, to Wesley it seemed highly unlikely that Captain Picard had ever had to practice being the way he was. Even wearing his hospital pajamas he looked imposing.

Wesley took a step in, and Picard's head tilted slightly, but did not turn to look at the teenager. For a terrifying moment he imagined that if the captain did turn to face him, the red laser of his visual implant would immediately target him. But the horrible implant had been removed, Wesley reminded himself. He had no reason to fear the Captain.

Finally the Captain did turn to look at Wesley. His piercing stare was made just slightly more disconcerting by the oddly shaped dermal repair on one side of his forehead, covering a former implant. Wesley shuddered inwardly, hoping his expression did not show the way he was feeling.

He lifted his chin to regard Wesley coolly as though he were not at all happy to be disturbed from his reverie. "Aren't you scheduled for bridge duty at 0730, Mr. Crusher?"

Wesley stood a little bit straighter. "Yes sir…tomorrow, sir."

"It already _is_ tomorrow, Mr. Crusher," Picard snapped, walking away from the window now. "It is three in the morning." He raised his index finger and pointed it up at the ceiling. Bit Wesley knew better than to look up, as the Captain was just about to make a point. "Attention to duty requires sleep, Mr. Crusher," the Captain said.

Wesley shrugged. "But _you're_ awake sir," he said and then regretted it.

Picard placed a hand on the back of a chair, and shifted his stance. Had he been limping? Perhaps only a little bit. "And I had assumed you were aware that I am not scheduled for duty, yet…and so my sleeping habits or lack thereof are none of your concern young man."

"Er…yes, sir."

Picard made a face and sat down in a chair at the table with the chess set. "Damn leg," he grumbled, looking down at his right leg which had just begun to twitch oddly. He placed his hand on his thigh, and gradually the twitching ceased. "Damn leg," he said again, looking up at Wesley. "Damn circuitry feels like it's still there," he whispered to himself, and then as if he had just remembered the gawking Wesley was right there, he continued in a louder voice.

"And if your mother has her way, I am beginning to doubt that she will ever clear me for duty. And believe me, it's not because she enjoys my company. I swear she told me yesterday that today would be the last blasted surgery I would have to undergo, and _then_ she said-"

"Maybe she does, sir," Wesley interrupted abruptly. Then to compound his error he shrugged again, as if the point he had interrupted in order to make didn't even matter. Damn, he had to stop doing that.

Picard had rested his chin on the knuckles of his right hand and was gazing at the chess platform. "Hmm? Maybe she does what?" he asked distractedly turning his attention back to the boy.

"Maybe she likes your company sir."

Looking suddenly caught off guard, Picard straightened his hospital pajama top, and leaned back in his chair. He tapped his fingers on his chest and murmured something to himself, but didn't respond right away. Then breaking out of his brief daze he gestured for Wesley to sit down across from him. Picard looked pointedly at the teenager when he hesitated. " _Well?_ Isn't this why you've come here in the early hours of the morning? Do you want to play or not?"

Wesley's mouth hung down loosely. "Uh…sort of. I mean I was going to play against _myself_ …."

To Wesley's surprise, Picard let out a short laugh. "Oh, what nonsense. What kind of challenge is that, for a young person of your intellect, Mr. Crusher? _Honestly…_."

Wesley nodded sheepishly and sat down across from the Captain, pulling in his chair.

Picard gestured. "Please…take the first move, Mr. Crusher."

Wesley rubbed his sweaty palms on his pajama pants. He was deathly afraid of being judged. Commander Riker had taught him a great deal about taking risks with his gameplay, but Wesley was still very conservative when it came to using his pawns. So he decided to go big.

Picard's brow creased at Wesley's first move, but he said nothing, instead studying the board. He moved one of his pieces, and then sat back, clearing his throat. "What makes you think that she enjoys my company?" he asked quickly, looking down at his king and queen.

Then he smiled wanly up at Wesley as though gathering some courage. "Most of my conversations with her lately have been while under heavy sedation. And she always has this…this frown as I am coming out of it. I must confess there were a few times I would have liked to just go back under."

Wesley nodded with understanding. "That's her angry concerned look, sir," he said slowly. "I've seen that one too…a lot. My strategy is just to avert my eyes…like this," he said, flicking his eyes to the right. He smiled and then realized that the Captain was still looking at him with an expectant expression.

"Oh…right. Well, she talks about you all the time sir. And sometimes she gets this really weird look on her face, like she's about to laugh but-" He cleared his throat, ready to spill anything that would be the least bit helpful, but Captain Picard suddenly raised his hand.

"That's quite alright, Mr. Crusher," he said looking more mortified than Wesley could have previously imagined. "I didn't mean to pry into your personal conversations with your mother."

"Oh, she doesn't have to know sir—"

"Please, Wesley, let's just carry on with the game, shall we?"

Wesley nodded, tucking his hands between his knees as he scanned the board for his next move. Determined not to let the Captain down, he pulled out a move that he had perfected, while playing Commander Riker. But to Wesley's growing frustration, the Captain remained emotionless as Wesley pulled out three more daring moves on his next three turns.

Unnerved by the silence, Wesley cleared his throat. "Did your dad-I mean your father play chess with you?" He silently cursed himself. Why did he always think of his Dad at moments like this? Why couldn't he just go one meeting with the Captain without raising the subject?

Picard shifted uncomfortably and then cracked his knuckles. "No. My father did not play games. It wasn't in his nature."

"But it's in yours," said Wes.

"I suppose," Picard said simply, then watched Wesley, waiting for him to make a move.

Wesley studied the board and almost yelled out with glee, as he reached his hand out to take the piece, seeing the opening he had been waiting for. He had really been saving up for this one spectacular move….

Picard pursed his lips and sat back in his chair folding his arms over his chest eyeing Wesley as though he'd had enough. "What are you doing?"

Wesley's eyes widened but he said nothing.

Picard leaned forward. "These are Mr. Riker's moves, Wesley, not your own."

"He said I could use them, sir—"

Picard shook his head. "Of course he did, and that is fine. But Wesley, to be a good tactician you must learn to use your own natural skills to your advantage. When you go against your natural tendencies you will fail time and again."

Wesley stared at him. "Really? Sometimes I think if I used my own natural tendencies I might never actually make a move."

Picard chuckled. "You must use that initial hesitancy and find the wisdom in it. Once you have gained more confidence, you will be able to use the innate cautiousness you have within you to dominate other players—even when you are under attack, commanding your own bridge—if you ever decide to command your own ship that is."

Wesley clearly did not believe him. "Really?"

"Mm—hmm. Check." Picard broke into a slow smile, perhaps the first one he had truly experienced in weeks.

 _Shit._ While the Captain had been talking, he had also been scoping out Wesley's weak spots. Hurriedly he protected his king from the oncoming advance. He glanced up at the Captain, whose smile had faded. To Wesley's shock Picard reached out and touched Wesley with his index finger right above the boy's heart. "Do you feel that? That flutter in your chest as you struggle to come up with the right decision?" he asked.

Wesley nodded slowly. "That is your true self, Wesley," he said slowly dropping his hand back down to the table. "And that is the key. You must always trust yourself. As long as you always do that, you will never fail."

It was one of those dreams that felt like a recurring dream but he knew it was actually a memory. The Captain's words drifted back to him: _…that is the key. You must always trust yourself…that is the key._

Wesley sat up in his bed with a start. He had to find the key…the answer to the puzzle.

* * *

"What do you want, Johanna?" Patrick asked, keeping his voice as distant as possible. "I've got work to do," he reminded her, as he stood outside of the cell block.

Doctor Mayer had composed herself since the last time he had seen her—in sick bay before she had shot a disruptor into a crowd of officers, and then been stunned herself. He clenched his hands behind his back, wishing he could have turned back the hands of time on that whole scene.

Johanna Mayer smoothed her long golden hair away from her face and walked toward the security force field. "Patrick, I never meant for this to happen. I didn't want to hurt Captain Riker…and certainly not you, Patrick."

"So now it's Patrick, is it?" he asked suspiciously through the energy field. "Now that you've shot me we're on a first name basis again."

Doctor Mayer looked down at her hands. "Patrick, I don't think I'm in the wrong timeline anymore. I mean…maybe I am, but I still think I might survive in the one Riker is trying to preserve."

"Oh?" he almost couldn't believe his ears. She'd gone off the deep end and then back again, just like that. A genius scientist who had suddenly cracked up. Why did he always fall for complicated women? "Johanna, you shot a phased weapon into a sickbay full of people…at the Captain, for—"he exhaled loudly in frustration. "You rigged CASU to explode, goddammit! And this is all you have to say for yourself?"

She had a faraway look on her face. "I told you that in my timeline, my father never returned to Earth, because the _Stargazer_ had disappeared—we now know because the Malkatans captured it."

"Right," said Obi, still trying to follow her. "And in the timeline that Captain Riker said is the correct one, the _Stargazer_ was lost in battle, but most of the crew survived." He studied her face. "Your father died on the _Stargazer_ didn't he?"

She nodded. "In the correct timeline, yes." She paced to the back of her cell and then turned to face Obi again. "I had Lt. Commander Data access his own files which are more accurate than anything else we have right now…he looked up the crew manifest and he confirmed that my father, one of the engineers on the Stargazer died in the fire that broke out in engineering during the Battle of Maxia."

Despite everything, Obi was sympathetic. "I'm very sorry to hear that, Doctor."

Johanna sat down on her bunk. "According to Mr. Data, there were no official reports of my father having abused me or making threats to my life in the correct timeline." She paused. "Patrick, after you left my quarters the other day, I looked through some of my own personal files just prior to the _Stargazer's_ disappearance from the altered timeline, and it helped me to remember. I _did_ file an official report against my father after he left for his final deep space mission. I was terrified that he would return and destroy my work…perhaps even kill me. I reported his crimes and I was assured by Starfleet Security that they would be thoroughly investigated. According to the crew manifest just before the _Stargazer_ was trapped, my father was no longer on board."

Obi sat down on a chair outside of her cell. " _What?"_

She nodded. "The bastard simply disappeared. If anyone deserved to be tortured by the Malkatans…and yet he disappeared before Picard's crew was captured. Why?" She looked up at him again.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

* * *

 **2355 Maxia**

After Zev watched Captain Picard fall to the deck unconscious, the sight of that brought her back to reality and her blinding joy at seeing Beverly ebbed. She gripped the phaser at her side and stared at the newcomers. The two Ferengi clearly did not want to be there, but Beverly and the strange bearded man looked genuinely concerned for the Captain's welfare. Certainly, Zev told herself, the real Beverly Crusher was good friends with Captain Picard, who had been best friends with former Second Officer Jack Crusher of course.

Still, they wore odd uniforms, and remarkably Beverly looked a few years older than when she had last seen the young doctor and her son just months ago on Earth before shipping out. But as Zev knew well from personal experience, stress could prematurely age a person. And Beverly Crusher had undergone a great deal of stress in her life, much of it within the previous year. Zev's heart wanted to believe that this was the same Beverly she had known for years, but her mind was jumbled by fatigue and suspicion. As she regarded Beverly she noticed something else not well hidden beneath the woman's coat. No...it was highly unlikely, and yet...was Beverly pregnant?

In silent response to Zev's questioning stare, Beverly pulled her jacket over herself and stepped hesitantly toward Zev.

"Zev," Beverly ventured quietly, seeing the uncertainty on the Andorian's normally confident features. "Zev it's me, Beverly." She could see that Zev had been tortured, just as Jean-Luc had been, and one of her antennae had even been cut off. She could not imagine the pain and humiliation her friends had endured, and yet they were still here, still functioning.

Only vaguely at that point did she wonder where the rest of the Stargazer bridge crew was. But since she had just seen Jean-Luc collapse, everything else was secondary in her mind.

"Beverly," Zev said slowly, still sounding very confused.

Beverly said, "I have to get to him," and attempted to walk around Zev slowly.

Zev raised her phaser. She didn't point it directly at Beverly, but she obviously had no intention of dropping it either. "I'm sorry…but I can't let you approach any closer to the Captain until you tell me who you really are. Beverly Crusher is stationed on Earth. There is no reason she would be out here. And your uniforms are not standard issue."

Beverly looked at Riker who looked ambivalent about saying anything, and then she turned back at Zev. "Is he alright?" she asked nodding toward Picard, who lay face down on the floor. "I can see that he's bleeding," she said keeping her voice calm. "You have to let me help him."

Zev kept the phaser trained on Beverly. "His neck wound is not as bad as it looks," she said. "I believe that he…he was overcome with emotion at seeing you, and that is why he collapsed."

"We don't want to hurt you," Riker said, still holding his phaser behind Brom and Kad. "We're just glad to see that you're alive." He looked around the empty bridge. "Where's everyone else?"

"Tell me who you are first," Zev demanded, glancing at Beverly again. "The Captain swore he saw you down on the Malkatan base. But we didn't believe him. Now you're back…if it's really you. No more lies," Zev said quietly.

Beverly nodded. "Okay. No more lies."

* * *

"We're from the future," Beverly began, and did her best to give a summary of what they had been through, why she had arrived on the Malkatan base, and why they were now back.

Zev finally holstered her phaser after glancing accusingly at Bok and Kad. Then she turned back to Beverly. "You saved us. We never would have escaped the Malkatan base without you," she said.

Beverly nodded and moved toward Jean-Luc who was starting to stir. Riker did the same, but stopped, remembering he was attached to Kad. Undoing one side of the handcuffs he put the other end on the railing in front of tactical.

"Your father eats scree larva!" Kad hissed at him.

Riker shrugged. "I wouldn't doubt it…but then he and I aren't that close."

He moved around Brom, who was starting to look very tired of having been held hostage. On the floor, Bok was slowly waking up and shaking his large cranium back and forth.

Commander Zev waved Riker over to her. "Step away from those Ferengi. We don't have time for them right now," she said before firing three stun beams quickly at all three, knocking them out instantly.

 _She does not mess around_. Riker turned to Zev with raised eyebrows and held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Will Riker." She shook his hand quickly and they moved to crouch down at Beverly's side.

"You're right, he just fainted," she said, still gripping his wrist, and not wanting to let go. "His pulse is strong." She ran her fingers over his neck which was bruised and had been slashed with a sharp weapon. "Who did this to him?" She looked up at Zev.

Zev looked away. "Vigo lost his mind down on that planet. When the Captain refused to destroy the Ferengi ship you were on he attacked without warning. I incapacitated him but not before he nearly strangled and cut the Captain."

Riker stared down at Picard, whose eyes were beginning to flutter. His hair was a sandy brown shade and short, but…it was there. Riker sat back on his haunches still looking at the Captain. He looked a little more dangerous than the Picard he was familiar with. He glanced at Beverly and wondered for the first time how she had decided to deal with the pregnancy issue. It was now hard to conceal.

Picard suddenly sat up and glanced around him. "Where's Bok?" he demanded, seeing Zev first.

"Still down for the count," Riker said with a grin. His smile faded as Picard looked at him sharply. Suddenly he looked so familiar again.

"Do I know you?"

Riker paused. "No…not yet at least," was all he could think of to say.

But Picard was now staring at Beverly. She held out her hand trying to steady him as he stood to his feet, and backed away from her slowly. He ran a hand over his eyes, and seemed to be testing if the newcomers would still be there when he removed his hand. "I've seen so many things recently. And…I am losing my concept of what is real and what is not," he admitted.

"Captain, Beverly and Riker are from the future. They're here to correct the timeline that the Ferengi helped to damage—"

"No!" he shouted. "I want to hear it from her," he pointed at Beverly and his lips were trembling. "I deserve it." He suddenly tugged at his tattered uniform and cleared his throat in an attempt to compose himself. "I want to talk with Beverly alone."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

 **2367 Four Months Ago on Board the Enterprise…**

After Geordi stopped trying to reason with the Captain to halt his plans to eject the warp core, the engineer left engineering to try and get help. Picard returned to what he had been doing; he knew what he was doing-he was trying to create a disruption in a powerful warp field that had shown itself to him outside the ship; the warp field that one no one else had seen. The one that threatened to ensnare his ship.

All he knew was that if he didn't act quickly, his ship would be trapped…or destroyed. He couldn't take the chance to find out which of these would be their fate. He resumed inputting the seven security levels needed to accomplish his task when he heard a popping sound behind him. He turned to find that he was not alone.

It was very tall, grey and slender with sinewy muscles and wore no apparent clothing. "Where is the key?" When it spoke, its voice was so deep he hardly registered the words that emanated from its wide toothless mouth.

Picard reached for a phaser, but the alien grabbed his wrist and threw him to the ground effortlessly. He rolled back up to try and strike at it, but it bent down and clutched at his clothing grabbing his collar in a vice grip. The alien lifted him up by his uniform collar and shook him as if trying to rid him of loose change.

Picard struggled in midair. "Who are you?"

"I am the Jailor," responded the booming voice. " _Where_ is the key? You must use it now!"

 _The key, the key, the key…._

* * *

 **2367 Four months later in Earth Orbit**

Someone continued to tug at his shirt collar. "Jean Luc...Jean Luc, wake up!"

He tried to roll away. He was trying to figure out where the key was, and if this person didn't let him finish his dream, he would never figure it out.

"Jean Luc," the now familiar voice insisted. "Wake up! That awful man is demanding to speak with you again."

Had it been a dream, or a memory? Whatever it was, it was new to him. He shook his head, and sat up from where he had been dozing on the floor of the ready room, gently pushing Mary away from him.

That "awful man" she referred to was the same person she had recently nursed back to health, while accusing Picard of lacking compassion. Apparently she had decided Captain Jellico was possibly even more of a difficult personality than Picard was, and now was very much anti-Jellico.

He rubbed his eyes. Just before falling asleep he had finished arguing with Jellico and Worf. The consensus was that whatever the Malkatans had done on the Enterprise with Jellico, had most likely been done on the other eight ships in orbit with the commanding officers. Jellico had suggested he had been kept behind for his "unparalleled knowledge about the Enterprise" and to keep the Malkatans informed of the ship's general status. The implication was that the commanding officers of the other eight ships had met the same fate, and that perhaps if they were also disconnected from the energy of the miniature singularity device, all of the ships could be freed and brought back under their control.

The ready room door hissed open and Jellico stood their staring with his unflinching gaze. "I'm ready to disembark. I'll take Worf over to the _USS Corsair_ with me, take care of any stray Malkatans, and then we will free Captain Martens…if she's still alive that is. Once we're in the clear Worf and I can beam back over and we'll take the _Enterprise_ , as you suggest…to attack the Malkatans."

Picard didn't bother to get up from his seat on the floor, and merely nodded his head as he leaned back against the wall. Jellico still refused to refer to Picard by his rank, much less his name, and apparently did not believe that he was the real Jean-Luc Picard, who according to Jellico (and the Enterprise computer) had disappeared twelve years ago. But this didn't stop Jellico from listening to Picard or agreeing with his plans to attack the Malkatans' temporary base on Earth.

"Surely you aren't asking for my permission, Captain," Picard said with a slight smile.

"Of course not," Jellico snapped. "Let's not forget who's in command of this vessel."

Picard finally pushed himself to his feet. "Oh…I haven't forgotten," he answered with the same small smile. He and Mary watched as Jellico stepped back through the doors, leaving them alone.

Mary looked up at Picard. "Oh, I hate his guts," she said.

"Agreed," said Picard.

 **Approximately 45 minutes later…**

 _"_ _Captain Jellico to the bridge,"_ came Jellico's voice through the communications link.

"Bridge here," Picard answered curtly.

" _Captain Martens is alive and well, and the ship is now under our control. We should be able to repeat the same process on the other ships now."_

"Excellent. Any Malkatans present?" Picard asked. He tapped at the tactical console. The energy field linking the Enterprise with the Corsair was now gone. He smiled to himself. The ship was now free. His smile faded when he remembered his conversation with Troi a few hours ago. But he shoved it away from his thoughts. He couldn't dwell on the negative right now. Beverly had traveled into the past to try and save him in the present. He could not fault her. He should have been grateful, and yet he was jealous of his past self and confused by the entire situation. He could not deny it any longer. His only hope was that she would be safe so that he would be able to reunite with her in twenty hours or so. He wondered silently if she would willingly leave the past Picard this time. Again he tried to stop the infuriating thoughts from fogging his mind.

 _"_ _No Malkatans,"_ Jellico confirmed, bringing Picard back to the present. _"In fact, Worf and I are ready to beam back over. Captain Martens assures me that she can handle it from here."_

Picard frowned. Of course Jellico was practically incapacitated for more than a day after he was released from the energy beam, and yet he expected poor Captain Martens to be up and running in just a few minutes. He glanced over at Mary who was rolling her eyes each time she heard Jellico's voice. It was dramatic, but mirrored his feelings very accurately.

" _Did you hear me bridge? Beam us back over."_

"Acknowledged," Picard said. "Initiating direct bridge to bridge transport." His hands moved over the controls again, and within seconds they heard the familiar hum of the transporter beam.

When Worf materialized alone in the center of the bridge, he glanced up at Picard who stood at tactical. "Orders, sir?"

"Take the helm," said Picard. "And get us out of transporter range as quickly as possible."

"Aye sir."

 _"_ _Jellico to Enterprise! What the hell do you think you're doing, Picard?"_

"Shields up…" Picard said almost casually, as he made it so with the controls. "I appreciate that you've finally done me the honor of using my name, Captain, but I am afraid I don't have time to argue every little point with you—"

" _You're stealing my ship, Picard! This is a court martial, do you understand, you son of a bitch?"_

"I can't very well steal what is already mine," Picard pointed out, as Worf moved the ship quickly away. Mary began applauding loudly, which he allowed although inappropriate. It was then that Picard noticed Spot had returned and was sitting in the command chair. He shrugged, figuring he might as well allow feline transgressions as well, given that it was such a special occasion.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

* * *

Picard felt his whole body grow impossibly tense. He had just shouted that he wanted to speak to Beverly Crusher alone. He was terribly embarrassed by his recent behavior where Beverly was concerned. First he had…fainted at seeing her, and then he had made an emotional outburst. But he couldn't help it. She was here in front of him.

Beverly's eyes went wide, and she looked suddenly frozen in place. It wasn't like her to be intimidated by any situation, but perhaps the stress of recent events was now wearing on her.

Feeling increasingly protective of his friend, Riker looked at Beverly, then Picard, and then back at Beverly. Well, this was awkward. "Do you want me to leave you alone?" he asked her gently, touching her on her arm.

Offended by Riker's attempts to protect Beverly from him, Picard stepped toward him authoritatively. "Who is this man?" he demanded, glaring up at Riker, but apparently asking someone else. For Riker it was beginning to look like Farpoint all over again, and he really could do without a repeat.

Riker raised his eyebrows and stuck out his hand congenially. "Commander—I mean, _Captain_ William T. Riker, sir," he said offering his most winning smile. Picard looked down at Riker's outstretched hand and then back at Will's face with a creased brow.

"Well…which is it? Are you a Commander or a Captain?" he questioned Riker impatiently.

"Well, until recently I was First Officer on the Enterprise, sir—but—"

Picard turned away from him abruptly, as though Riker had taken too long to answer him. "Zev, what the hell are all of these Ferengi doing on my bridge?" Picard demanded.

Riker straightened and his eyes drifted up toward the ceiling. _Dismissed._

Zev gestured at Riker and Beverly. "They brought them, Captain. The Ferengi with all the jewels on his coat is Brom-Bok's son, and the spindly one is—"

"Oh, I know who _Kad_ is," Picard reassured her. "But I hardly expected to see the little weasel alive again," he snapped. "I saw him get shot in the face down on Malkata, after all. So… _why_ is he here?"

Riker turned to look at the Captain and opened his mouth to respond, but then reached up to scratch his beard, searching for an appropriate response. "I could explain Captain...but you just said you wanted to be alone with Doctor Crusher. So maybe one explanation at a time," he suggested and smiled again in as friendly a way as possible. However, the Captain was not reciprocating.

Picard studied Riker's face. The man looked trustworthy enough, despite wearing a strange uniform and having appeared from out of nowhere on his bridge. And there was an apparent sense of recognition and affection in the tall man's eyes that he could not share of course, but he knew would somehow be comforting if he allowed it to be so.

Besides, Riker was with Beverly, and seemed protective of her, which was positive. His eyes narrowed. Just how well did Riker know Beverly? He forced his jealousy back into the recesses of his brain. The lingering effect of the Singularity Net continued to make it seem as though he was thinking through a thick fog at times. He blinked, trying to keep the suspicion out of his gaze for Beverly's sake. He didn't want to frighten her. He nodded slowly and looked over at Beverly. He pointed toward the tiny conference adjacent to the bridge. "We could step in there, if you would…."

Beverly nodded and then glanced at Riker, giving him a reassuring smile as she walked ahead of the Captain.

* * *

Zev turned to Riker sharply once they were gone. "Is she pregnant with his child?"

Riker glanced after Beverly quickly and then back down at Zev. "Um…." he hadn't anticipated having to answer such a question. He wasn't even sure he had permission to answer it. So he just cleared his throat and looked at Zev. Her antenna pointed in his direction. He scratched the back of his neck. "Um…this isn't really my area of—"

"Riker…is she going to tell him?"

The ridiculousness of the whole situation finally hit Will and he almost laughed. "Do you actually think he won't notice? I mean…even I would notice-if I didn't already know, that is."

Zev folded her arms over her chest. "How long have you known Captain Picard?"

Riker looked at her. "About four years. Why?"

"Then you have known him long enough to know that he is entirely capable of not noticing that a woman is pregnant…even a woman that he loves. He is well practiced at sublimating his emotions to the point of extreme self-denial."

Riker looked down at his hands. "Good point," he murmured with a small shrug.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

* * *

"So now you have me alone," Beverly said quietly once they were inside the small conference room.

Jean-Luc paced back and forth, keeping his distance from her. Her eyes followed him with some trepidation. Then he stopped abruptly. "Yes...just as you had me alone, not too long ago," he said.

It was true. Did he feel she had taken advantage of him down on the Malkatan base? "Are you angry with me, Jean-Luc?"

"It's not so simple. I am confused...just months ago before leaving Earth, I called you and you told me weren't even sure you wanted to have lunch with me upon my return from the mission."

Beverly was somewhat surprised to hear him say this. She remembered having that conversation with him years ago. But for him it was much more recent a memory.

"And then down on that base I had these fantasies constantly...about you."

She blushed and looked away from him, as he continued.

"I almost believed those visions to be real until you came to me that day. You said things to me I never dreamt you would. You made promises about how we would be together. Was it real, Beverly? Please say that it was real."

Beverly tried to swallow away the lump in her throat. "Yes, Jean-Luc, it was real."

"But…how am I supposed to reconcile all of that...everything, with the fact that you and I have been so estranged following Jacks death?"

"I can explain," she said. "Not all of it will make sense, but I'm going to try."

Picard watched Beverly as she stared at him and pulled her coat tighter around her as though she were cold. But it was hotter than blazes in that room. He stepped toward her, feeling drawn by the power of just being near to her again. But Beverly moved to stand so that she was shielded by a chair near the conference table. He was unable to hide the quick expression of hurt and confusion that crossed his features.

"Beverly, I would never hurt you," he said, studying her face from across the room.

"Of course not. I know that," she said softly, tracing her hand across the top of the chair.

"Well…you needn't hide from me then," he insisted.

"I'm not hiding," she said. "Jean-Luc… a lot has changed between us in the twelve years between now and the future where I just came from." She paused as he watched her expectantly.

"We're friends now in the future...great friends," she assured him.

He smiled, very happy to hear it. He nodded. "Good...I'm glad." His smile faltered a little and he took a step toward her. "Where are we in the future? What are we doing?"

"We're serving together on board the flagship of the fleet. You are Captain of the Enterprise."

His smile returned. The _Enterprise_...James Kirk's famed ship.

"How is Wesley? Is he at the Academy?"

Beverly laughed and felt tears come to her eyes. "He's wonderful…yes he entered the Academy," she said. Picard broke into a wide smile.

"Jack would be so proud," he said, and then looked immediately apologetic.

"It's okay," she reassured him. "You can say Jack's name. You're right…he would be proud."

She couldn't bear to tell him that Wesley was at the Academy mainly because the _Enterprise_ too had been lost, and he really hadn't known what else to do.

"And the _Stargazer_?"

"I'm sorry, Jean-Luc but the _Stargazer_ was lost. It was during what is now known as the Battle of Maxia...in our timeline just before now, you destroyed Brom's ship."

He leaned on the table, trying to take it all in. His ship had been lost. He was always complaining that his ship was falling apart, and he had always sort of expected it to sputter out of energy, instead of being lost in battle. "What about my crew?" he asked distantly.

"Most of your crew escaped. There was a fire in engineering, which you were able to extinguish in order to prevent the ship from complete destruction...but there were lives lost. I'm sorry," she said again.

He sat down heavily, weighed down by the guilt of something that had never even happened to him. And yet, what _had_ happened was even worse. The horrible reality of the Malkatans crept back into his brain. He had his damn ship, but his crew was dead. He realized he wasn't ready to tell Beverly. Would she be ashamed of him? That he had been unable to prevent what happened to the crew?

"Well, all of this explains Bok's vendetta against me," he said. "And he arranged for the Malkatans to capture us…." He nodded slowly coming to understand. Of course, General Unh had told him as much down on that planet. He smiled grimly and then stood up, looking at her from across the table. "At least in the future you and I will have a chance to serve together," he said with more strength.

She smiled at him sadly. "At least...we were serving together until things went so wrong." She tried her best to explain the rest as calmly as possible. Meanwhile all she could think of was the fact that she would not be able to hide her pregnancy from him, and she couldn't believe that she had ever considered it.

"So why did you come back? And what are you keeping from me?" He circled, coming closer to her. With each step she seemed to withdraw from him.

"I told you, Jean-Luc. I returned because I knew that Bok was going to try to murder you."

"So were you trying to save me, or the Picard of the future?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes!"

"Well, Jean-Luc, of course I was trying to save you _both_. I believed that if I saved you, the future version of you would also survive. To me you're both the same person."

"But you have to leave me again and travel into the future to make sure that you've succeeded. Well what if I don't want you to leave me again?"

"Jean-Luc…."

Some painful emotion made his chest grow tight as he walked toward her. "We're friends in the future you've said. But here? What are we, Beverly?" She didn't answer so he walked closer until they were within arms-length. "You told me that what happened between us was real. So why don't you trust me?" He reached out to touch her cheek.

Her face flushed again as she regarded him silently. She caught his hand against her face and held it. "It's not that simple, Jean-Luc. I don't want to hurt you."

He shook his head and moved closer. "You couldn't do that." He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away. Without breaking eye contact she took his hand from her cheek and brought it down to her belly. His eyes dropped down and then back up into her eyes with sudden unease.

"What…"

She nodded. "Yes. Now do you see why I have been hiding behind chairs and tables?" she asked him softly.

"But, how…." He was completely mystified, but to her surprise hadn't removed his hand from her stomach. He looked back down. "We were only together that one-"

"It was more than once," she corrected him gently. "And it doesn't always take much. Trust me…I'm a doctor," she added with a small smile.

He looked at her with a completely serious expression. "Has the time-shifting accelerated it—the baby's growth?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He moved his hand over her stomach and then put his head against the side of her neck. "You can't leave. Not now that I know."

She pulled back slightly to look at him, and gently smoothed his hair. "Jean-Luc, I feel the same way about leaving you, but…I don't belong here. There's another version of me on Earth right now."

"That version of you who hates me?"

She shut her eyes. "I never hated you. And I'm starting to think that there was never a time when I didn't love you."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

* * *

Geordi straightened his cramped lower back and stood up, surprised to see a visitor in this part of engineering. For the most part the crew of the _Aldrin_ had left him, Data and Wesley alone to complete the repairs and modifications to CASU. Although absent and still locked away in the detention block, Dr. Mayer had been surprisingly cooperative and even helpful with CASU's restoration, passing information through Commander Obi. It seemed like that Mayer and Obi had some kind of tortured romance brewing, but for Geordi's part he really didn't care as long as they got this thing up and running.

He tossed his hyper spanner to the side, as a crouching Data and Wesley looked up. "Hi Counselor," Geordi greeted Deanna Troi as she strolled gracefully toward them. He wiped some grease off of his forehead and smiled. "To what do we owe this visit?"

She looked pale and anxious—never a good sign for her as that meant someone, somewhere was probably experiencing some kind of horrible mental anguish. Geordi was pretty sure that for the moment it wasn't him.

Deanna, despite her anxiety seemed quite composed. "Hello. Actually I was hoping to speak with Wesley."

Wesley Crusher came out of his crouching position to face her, smoothing out his engineering coveralls. "Hi, Counselor. What's going on?"

Troi squeezed her hands together and nodded. "Let's find somewhere quiet to sit, shall we?"

"There's a conference room over there," Geordi said, pointing across the engineering bay.

He watched as Troi and Wesley walked away, and then turned to Data. "What do you think is going on now?" he asked.

"Although there are many possible scenarios for what is currently happening, Geordi, I have learned that in this type of situation, it is more appropriate to tell you that 'I have no idea,'" said Data, handing Geordi back his hyper spanner.

"Right," said LaForge.

"Wesley, I can't help but tell that we are both thinking along similar lines," said Troi. "And it concerns me, because I believe we both may be correct.

Wesley sat down slowly across from her at the table. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Wesley several hours ago after your mother and Commander Riker left for 2355—again, I spoke with Captain Picard, who as you know is still on Earth. I know you have been thinking of him, so I thought I would let you know my concerns."

Wesley sat up straighter. "Does he know about Mom?"

Deanna smiled gently. "He does know that Beverly has traveled into the past again, and frankly he is quite upset about it."

"Well can we still reach him? Maybe if I tried to talk to him…." Wesley trailed off and then shrugged.

"I called him a few hours ago just to follow up, unfortunately he didn't answer. Wesley, I believe he is deliberately closing himself off."

"Why?"

"He's planning to try and do something extreme," said Troi. "I believe that he is convinced that he is going to disappear again—to die. And so, he is determined to make an impact before he does."

Wesley slumped in his chair. "The Traveler's been missing for days now. I need his help," he said sounding defeated.

"Why are you putting this all on yourself?" Deanna asked.

"Well…when this whole thing started—at least when the Traveler first came to visit me at the Academy after the Captain's disappearance, he said I would need to learn to trust my instincts. And each time I've encountered him since then he's been less and less helpful, telling me I have to figure this out. And then last night…well I had a dream I was playing chess with the Captain. And he told me to always trust myself. So I think I have to be the one to figure this out, but so far I haven't come close to doing that."

Deanna leaned forward and put her hand over his. Wesley blushed a little bit. He'd always had kind of a crush on Counselor Troi. Not that he was about to admit it to her—ever. She smiled at him again. "Wesley, it's not that I don't have faith in your ability to solve this problem, but it's quite complicated. I agree we need to work together, but—"

"Counselor," Wesley said quickly. "Is it possible that you're sensing the Captain's intent, but it's a Captain Picard from another timeline?"

Deanna looked at Wesley with a frown that gradually softened into some form of understanding. "I'm not certain that I would know the difference," she admitted. "Captain Picard is Captain Picard to me. And if the timelines are connecting somehow, I suppose it's possible that I could be sensing Captain Picard from a different time continuum."

"Well they _are_ interconnected," said Wesley. "Because the Captain Picard who reappeared on Earth with Worf knows all about Bok and the Malkatans and everything else. He even knows why and how he disappeared, because Worf, my mom, you…everyone has explained it to him. And the Captain Picard in the past met Mom on the Malkatan base, was exposed to our technology, and had to use the neutralizer to escape from the Singularity Net," he said talking very quickly now. "So, the only Captain Picard who doesn't understand the problem with the timeline is _our_ Captain Picard. The one who destroyed the _Enterprise_. He must have done it because he saw something—he was trying to save us."

Deanna swiped at the tears that threatened to fill her eyes. "Of course he was."

"And so now he needs our help. We have to help him to save the _Enterprise_."

Troi shook her head. "But Wesley, it won't be enough will it, if the thing that he saw that day was indeed the Singularity Net. We have to stop him from seeing it in the first place. But…how do we do that?"

Wesley bit his thumb. "I don't know. I don't think it's that easy. There's more than one thing going on here. But I think that the Captain is still the key to figuring this out." He looked at her again and this time smiled. "You're right, we have to work together, Deanna."

* * *

He kissed her and this time she didn't move away. He had needed her for so long, and now she was back. But it couldn't last could it? No, he understood all too well, now. But the closeness of her body didn't make it any easier, and couldn't make all of him understand. He held her to him and she returned his kiss, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck. But before long she pulled away and then ran her hand gently over his bruised throat. She lightly touched the nasty cut on his neck that was now drying.

"What really happened between you and Vigo?" she whispered. Something flashed in his eyes then and he backed away. She could tell that he didn't want to tell her the truth, and he didn't want to lie either. So knowing him, she knew he would say nothing. She reached for his hand, wishing again for the closeness they had just shared, but he sat down on the edge of the conference table and stared silently down at his leg dangling above the floor.

"Don't hide from me," she said, walking toward him.

"Or what?" he said quietly and his face was impassive when he looked up at her. "You'll leave?"

"I told you I—"

"You don't belong here!" he suddenly shouted, getting to his feet and gesturing wildly in the air in front of him. "Don't you think I understand that, Beverly? But don't you see, _I_ don't even want to exist in this world anymore either. I don't want to remember what they did to me…what they did to _my_ crew!"

She shook her head and sat down at the table staring up at him. All of this had happened to him because of a senseless vendetta, and she could do nothing to help him. He had to live with this now. What good had all of her time traveling and attempts to save him done? Would her counterpart on 2355 Earth understand him? Would she reach out to him? "Jean-Luc," she said quietly, trying to reason with him. "When you and the others return to Earth, there _will_ be a time for healing, I know there will—"

"No," he said coldly, placing his palms on the table and staring down at her. "There _are_ no others."

She blinked. "What?"

"They're all dead," he said flatly. She sat in stunned silence, as he walked away from the table, and then they both turned as the doors hissed open and Riker and Zev stepped inside the room.

"Is everything alright, Beverly?" Zev said, shooting Picard a piercing stare.

Beverly simply nodded silently, still in shock.

Riker stepped forward. "We need to talk," he said to Beverly pointedly.

Picard folded his arms in front of him and walked slowly toward Riker. "What about?" he asked, stopping just in front of him.

Riker held his ground. "Zev says you fused the neutralizer with the force field controls," he said.

Picard nodded. "That's correct. Why?" He glanced back at Beverly. "Is that why you came back? For the device you gave me down on the base?"

"You know why I came back, Jean-Luc, because I already told you," she answered. "I came back for you."

"But…Captain, we did want to retrieve the neutralizer from you," Riker said slowly. "We think we can use it. Against the weapons of the Malkatans."

Picard sat down at the table across from Beverly. "I'm listening," he said.

"Then I'll go and keep my eyes on the Ferengi," said Zev, walking out of the room.

* * *

"Wesley…."

Wesley sat up in bed, seeing the Traveler's disembodied head floating over him. He should have been surprised, but instead he only felt anger. "Where the hell have you been?" Wesley shouted jumping out of bed.

The Traveler's face shimmered, and his skin looked ever greyer than usual. "He won't let me go," the Traveler said slowly. He looked as though he were drugged. "He won't let me free until he has it…and my time is running out, Wesley."

Wesley ran a frenzied hand through his tousled hair. "What? Who are you talking about?"

"The Jailor…."

"The who? Who is the Jailor?"

The Traveler, or his image began to choke. "It was not only Bok…it was not-find the other one and stop him, Wesley—"

"Find the other one? Who's the other one?" Suddenly the Traveler's image blinked away and Wesley was alone. Wesley reached out and swiped at the area above his bed uselessly, before falling to the floor in frustration _. Stop him…_


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

* * *

 **Mayer…**

 **2355 Outside the Maxia Sector**

"As you know Admiral, we were just about to enter the Maxia system to map the sector," said Picard. "This is highly troubling."

Admiral Chen's serious expression filled the private view screen.

"Captain, I know this is unusual, but we can't have a suspected murderer on board a starship."

"Understood sir, but my crew is hardly equipped to hunt down an accused perpetrator. Our security personnel are limited."

"You have a brig don't you?" Chen was unsympathetic to Picard's plight.

Picard crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course, sir. And shall we carry on with mapping the system, or simply bring Lieutenant Mayer to the nearest Starbase?"

Chen shook his head. "That decision hasn't been made, Captain. Get the man into custody first. Chen out."

Picard sat back in his chair. _Dammit._ Mayer was a loose cannon. The Chief Engineer had been warning him about it for months now. Picard had ordered the man to take anger management courses and to see a counselor before getting cleared for duty three months ago. But he'd really had no idea. According to new evidence uncovered by Starfleet Security, the "accident" which had purportedly killed Lt. Mayer's wife and teenage son several years ago was now a probable double-homicide. And Mayer it seemed was the prime suspect. These revelations had apparently come about because Mayer's 20 year old daughter had reported that he had physically and psychologically abused her for years, particularly following the death of her mother and older brother. She had no idea, according to Security, that he was possibly responsible for their deaths along with his violence against her, but the investigation into the daughter's allegations had uncovered additional secrets of Mayer's violent past. It was all very tragic. Picard was sickened to know that such person could be on his ship. While he certainly believed in due process, he simply couldn't allow the risk of someone like this harming anyone else on board his ship. He reached out to touch the communications link. "Lt. Vigo, please report to my ready room and ready an armed security team."

* * *

 **2367 The Aldrin**

Commander Obi glanced around the table surveying the faces of the remaining officers from the _Enterprise_. At his side sat Dr. Johanna Mayer, temporarily released from her detention cell. A security officer hovered nearby. Johanna's usual arrogance had been replaced by a clearly anxious demeanor.

"Thank you for coming," Obi said, looking around at those assembled. "I've called us together for two reasons. I have already briefed my own crew on the first part of what I'm about to tell you and that is that the situation with the Malkatans has worsened to the point that we have less than twenty known active ships, equipped to battle the enemy. In addition, the casualties we experienced on Earth were far greater than originally believed."

"How bad?" Geordi asked.

"Over sixty million have been reported dead." Obi paused while the impact of that statement settled in.

Troi grasped Wesley's hand in hers and stared down at the table.  
Even Data appeared stunned.

"And these numbers don't account for those colonies we've lost and the off-world Starfleet personnel that were killed in battle," explained Obi. He tapped his fingers on the table top. "So, the _Aldrin_ has been ordered to the border of the Klingon Empire with six other ships to try and hold back what we think is their final advance."

Deanna looked at Obi pointedly. "But you've decided to disobey the order," she said softly. "Haven't you?"

He nodded, looking uncomfortable. "Call it a hunch…but I think we'll better serve the cause to stay here. Besides, I don't want to abandon Captain Riker as long as he has a chance of getting the other neutralizer," he said firmly.

"Then what's next?" Wesley asked.

Obi leaned forward. "The CASU device has been modified with the neutralizer we pieced together from the runabout's computer files—thanks to you, Data, and LaForge. And my plan is to launch it from here to meet up with the Fleet at the Klingon rendezvous point. If CASU has the neutralizing effect on the Malkatan weapons that we hope it will, that might give our blockade a fighting chance."

"Well, it's worth a try. We've come this far," LaForge said. "But…I'm a little hesitant to ask what the second reason is you called us here."

Obi smiled slightly but then glanced at Dr. Mayer.

She nodded. "There's something that has been bothering me."

 _Aside from the fact that you shot at Will?_ Deanna thought.

"In our…modified timeline, the records show that my father disappeared from the _Stargazer_ before it was captured by the Malkatans."

Deanna inclined her head to look at Mayer. "I don't understand. Why would your father disappear?"

"My father was very abusive toward me—at one point he even threatened to kill me." She looked down at her hands. "My mother and brother had already been dead for several years, due to an accident. So…it was just my father and me. Anyway, according to the records and my ever-changing memory of events, I reported his abuse to the authorities after my father shipped out with the rest of the Stargazer crew on what would be its last mission. I was only nineteen at the time, and I was afraid he would return…but he never did. As much as I hated him, I felt guilty that he didn't return. When I made my report, I was told there would be an investigation, but of course, I never heard anything after that. The next thing I knew, the _Stargazer_ had disappeared."

"So…you think his disappearance had something to do with your report?" Deanna asked.

"I can't be sure," she admitted. "But, my father was extremely resourceful and a brilliant engineer. The more I have thought about it, the more I think he is still alive somewhere. And if he is, why hasn't he reappeared?"

Wesley suddenly spoke up. "The Traveler came to me last night. He told me that someone named the Jailor has imprisoned him and won't let the Traveler go until he has 'it'. What 'it' is, I don't know yet."

Data turned to Wesley. "Fascinating, Wesley. Would you mind stating why you chose to mention that just now?"

Wesley hesitated. _I'm trying to trust my instincts just like the Captain told me._ "He also said that Bok wasn't the only one."

"What?" Deanna gaped. "You mean to say that Bok had an accomplice?"

"We already know he had Kad…and Brom," said Geordi.

Wesley shook his head. "No. I think the Traveler meant that Bok was not the only one responsible for the changes he made to the timeline. And I'm starting to wonder if there is even a way to pinpoint just when things changed. I mean what if the timeline changed before Bok became involved? It's like searching for a needle in a haystack…but the haystack's moving."

"And so is the needle," Deanna said. "The more things are changed, the more the origin of the change becomes murkier."

"It remains, however, that the one primary factor that resulted in both the capture of the _Stargazer_ , and the advancement in the Makatan's technology since that event, was the Singularity Net," Data offered.

"Based on what the Traveler told us, we know the Singularity Net was created by an ancient race," said Wesley. "And that after the Net's use was discontinued because of its dangerous properties, the Traveler set it loose accidentally, when he was traveling through space and time. But what we don't exactly know, is how Bok got hold of the Singularity Net. Maybe that's the key." _That's the key._ Wesley could almost hear Captain Picard's voice echoing back to him over the chess table.

"Up until this point we have been assuming that Bok obtained the Singularity Net perhaps by accident, and then proceeded to change the past," continued Wesley. "But what if the past was already changing when he found it?"

"Intriguing," said Data. "It is possible that the Singularity Net itself and its presence in this sector caused the timeline to begin changing even before Bok gained control of it."

"All I know," said Wesley slowly. "Is that we need to stop Bok from finding the Net."

* * *

 **2355 The Stargazer**

"So in your opinion Mr. Riker, the neutralizer would weaken the weapons of the Malkatans."

Will nodded. "That's correct, Captain," he said, pleased that Picard now seemed willing to listen.

"But surely a single neutralizer isn't going to be enough to stop their invasion of the Federation in the future," said Picard. _I should have killed General Unh down on that base when I had the chance_ , he thought darkly.

Riker looked down at the table then back up at Picard. "Probably not…but I'm sure you'd agree that desperate times call for desperate measures," he said.

Picard pulled down the hem of his ragged, bloodied tunic and somehow managed to make it look dignified. "You needn't provide me with clichés to convince me, Mr. Riker. Of course, I am happy to give you back the neutralizer."

Riker stood up. "Thank you sir. I'll get to work right away."

Picard glanced at Beverly. He wanted to say goodbye to her. And yet he didn't. "Have Zev help you to remove the neutralizer," he said to Riker with a nod.

Riker turned to leave but at that moment, Zev poked her head inside of the room. "The Ferengi have a proposition for us. Should I let them come in, Captain?"

* * *

Picard looked at Zev for a moment with mild surprise, before nodding. "Yes."

Zev gestured for Bok, Kad, and Brom to walk in ahead of her. She held her phaser at the ready as she brought up the rear. She stood silently watching the Ferengi with a mix of suspicion and curiosity.

Bok walked deliberately away from Picard's icy stare, and sat down at the table as though at a routine business meeting. Kad and Brom sat down on either side of him. Riker slowly sat back down next to Picard and noted that Kad's position was a curious one, as it seemed he had betrayed both Brom and Bok at various points in both timelines; and yet he was still here. A true survivor, whether Riker respected his methods of survival or not.

"Well?" Picard barked. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"We would like to make a trade…we will provide you with information in exchange for our return to Brom's vessel," Bok said.

"After leaving me and my crew to die on an alien world and disrupting the space time continuum, you have the _nerve_ to try and bargain with me? The deal is, _you_ give us the information, and then _I_ decide whether it is worth the risk of allowing you to return to your goddamn ship."

Bok shifted in his seat and glanced at Kad. "Fine. But I will not speak in front of the woman."

Picard reached across the table and grabbed Bok by his collar with two hands, yanking him over the table. "Apologize to her," he snapped. "Or I will make sure that you do not have the capacity to speak to _anyone_ ever again," he assured Bok, holding fast to the Ferengi's collar.

"Jean-Luc, let him go!" Beverly grabbed his arm in an attempt to restrain him, but he continued to stare into Bok's face, pulling him to within just inches of his own. He twisted the collar in one of his fists, and Bok's color deepened.

"Captain," Riker attempted to interject. When he had been with Zev on the bridge alone she had revealed the fate of the Stargazer crew. It was a hideous situation, and he couldn't imagine what Picard was thinking right now, but if the Ferengi had something actually helpful to tell them, it wouldn't do to kill Bok before he shared whatever he was itching to tell them.

"Father, just _apologize_ to the human!" Shouted Brom. "Can't you see that your meddling has imbalanced him?"

"My deepest apologies, Doctor Crusher," Bok finally croaked hoarsely.

Picard released Bok and shoved him across the table. Bok clutched at his neck, perhaps taking a few more dramatic moments than necessary to recover.

Finally he looked up at Picard, still rubbing his throat. "You may not believe me, Picard, but I have something to say to you. You are not the only one who was under the influence of the Singularity Net."

Picard's eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

"In _our_ current year of 2367 I met a man who told me a story of revenge," began Bok. "A human scientist. And he hated you, almost as much as I do—or did. He had a device which he claimed he had 'found'. We had so much in common, it seemed, that I decided to tell him my own story of the death of my beloved son at your hands. The human was willing to rent it to me, if I could promise him that you and the rest of the _Stargazer_ would meet a horrible and tortured death. And in carrying out his revenge, I would exact my own against you, Picard, by changing the future so that the great Picard no longer mattered to anyone."

"You tried and failed at that," Beverly said coldly.

"I did not expect the Malkatans to have the intelligence to try and keep the Singularity Net for themselves. That was my only failure, as far as I am concerned," Bok said.

"And why are you telling us all of this now?" Beverly demanded angrily.

"Because none of this—all that I have done in the name of revenge, is worth a future ruled by the Malkatans," Bok said.

"This man you…collaborated with," said Picard to Bok. "What was his name?" He leaned forward after glancing over at Zev, who had a horrified expression on her face.

Bok glanced at Kad who shrugged. "He never told us his name," said Kad. "But he was missing an ear, Picard. Does that jog your memory?"

Picard stood up quickly and backed away from the table. Zev approached him with the same intense look on her face.

Beverly and Will stood up, expectantly watching what was left of the Stargazer's crew.

"Mayer," said Picard. He shook his head in disbelief. "Lt. Mayer was one of our engineers up until two weeks before we were captured by the Malkatans. He was a brilliant scientist, but very troubled emotionally. We were ordered by Command to capture him and detain him for the authorities after he became a suspect in the alleged murder of his wife and son."

"We trapped him in engineering," said Zev. "But he got away—he escaped in a shuttle. But not before Vigo and his security officers wounded him—shot his right ear off."

"That is him," hissed Bok. "Mayer is the human we met…."

"After he escaped, Starfleet ordered us to return to mapping this sector. They assured us they were sending out security vessels to apprehend him," said Picard, still looking stunned. "I—I still don't understand."

"So all of this is _your_ doing, Picard," Kad said loudly. "You never should have let that criminal escape!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Riker shouted back at him, advancing on Kad. "You made a deal with that maniac. If Bok hadn't been bent on getting revenge against the Captain, none of this would have happened!"

"He used the singularity device to influence us, to gain our trust," Bok protested. "I am sure of it!"

"None of this even matters!" Beverly shouted suddenly, quieting the rest of the room. "The only thing that matters is stopping Mayer from either _getting_ the Singularity device in the first place, or from _giving_ it to Bok once he's developed it. Somehow in 2355 he must have found the Singularity Net the Traveler cut loose. This means Mayer is still alive in 2367, or was when he met Bok months ago."

Riker threw up his hands. "We have no means of traveling in time aside from the pedestal of time which is in 2367 on Bok's ship-"

"You mean Kad's ship. It's my ship now," corrected Kad.

Bok turned to him in angry surprise. "You _are_ the slimiest spawn of a gree worm, Kad. You are the one who made it possible for the Malkatans to steal the Singularity Net—and then you betray me more times than it is possible to count—before stealing my ship? What next?"

"Every single one of you little bastards is responsible for meddling with the future," said Zev raising her phaser again threateningly.

"Not me," said Brom indignantly. "All I did was live after all."

"But you were _supposed_ to die," Zev said with a cold smile. "And that can still be arranged."

Picard held up his hands. "Beverly is right. The only way to have a chance of fixing what Mayer and Bok conspired to create is for Beverly, Riker, Bok and Kad to return to the future where they belong. Once there, they must try and use whatever means they can to correct what has happened. Those of us who belong here in 2355 must remain here and do the best we can not to make things worse."

"And what about me?" Brom asked with outrage. "And am I just supposed to sit and wait for a change back to a timeline in which my crew and I are destroyed by Picard's ship here at Maxia?"

Everyone turned to look at him at once. Although no one answered Brom, the answer was obvious.

* * *

The three Ferengi returned to the bridge along with Zev and Riker who were attempting to remove the neutralizer from the Stargazer's systems for the journey back into the future. Once again Picard and Crusher were alone. They sat side by side in silence. Eventually, not knowing what else to do, Beverly opened her med kit and pulled out some supplies. She didn't look at him as she prepared a hypo spray.

He studied her curiously. "I apologize for my behavior toward Bok. Perhaps it will be easier for you to leave, now that you know how by changing the past, I have been changed as well. And not for the better."

"Jean-Luc…I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now after losing your crew in that way." She shook her head and blinked back tears. "Some of them were my friends too," she whispered, taking out a cloth to clean his neck.

"I know," he said looking down. "But I don't want to feel any of that. I only want to feel the good things, remembering the good things like being with you, Beverly."

She finally looked at him and gave him a faint smile. "Then let's leave it that way. We'll both remember the good things." She reached over and began to clean his neck off, and then treated the wound. He didn't move away, and sat there compliantly, looking at her face. When she was done, she sat back and looked at him again. "So now what do we do?"


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

* * *

 **2367 In Orbit around Earth**

"One thousand survivors from San Francisco and the greater bay area are signaling their readiness to beam up, Captain," Worf reported.

"Very well," Picard said from the helm, turning around to look at Worf. "That's our limit for now." Silently he knew that following the attack on the Malkatan base in the South Pacific, they would need to pick up more survivors. It made no sense to him to pick up survivors beforehand, in case the Enterprise and nine other ships were destroyed in the attack. He was concerned. The odds of finding Worf's son and his own family in France were slim. He couldn't face it now. "Mr. Worf, go to cargo bay and see to the survivors. Organize any of the Starfleet Officers into groups consisting of engineers, scientists, technicians, security and command officers. As for the civilians I want them out of the way and under control."

"Yes sir."

"Civilians have a lot to offer, Jean-Luc," Mary said from the command chair where she was sitting with Spot.

Picard fixed her with an expression of barely contained irritation. "Are you speaking personally, Mary, or for civilians in general?"

"I'm just _saying_ Jean-Luc, you shouldn't sell those people short. They have survived against the odds after all."

He smiled slightly. "Mary, if you would… please help Mr. Worf to organize the survivors, in the main cargo bay. Meanwhile I will begin to beam them up in groups."

"Okay," she agreed, getting up from the chair to follow Worf.

"And Mary…."

She turned back to look at him. "Yes son?"

"Take the cat with you."

* * *

" _Jellico to Enterprise,"_ came Jellico's reedy voice.

"Enterprise here," said Picard.

" _How's my ship doing, Picard?"_

" _My_ ship is fine, Captain Jellico," Picard reassured him.

" _You still stole my ship, Picard…or whoever you really are. And if we ever get any kind of court martial system back, I'll see you prosecuted for it."_

"Thank you for the notice, Captain. I'll be certain to begin to prepare my defense as soon as the Malkatans have been defeated."

 _"_ _Very funny. But I'm willing to work with you for now_. _All of the orbiting starships are free and we can get this underway, Picard_."

"Good. The Enterprise will take the lead then," Picard said simply. "Once we've disabled their defense perimeter using the Makatan weapon, you can move in with the _Corsair_ and beam out the prisoners."

 _"_ _Affirmative. Once we have our manned ships back they won't have a chance,"_ Jellico said confidently.

"We shall see," Picard said quietly, settling back in his chair. He entered the transporter sequence and began to transport those waiting from the surface.

* * *

 ** _2355 The Stargazer_**

"I feel as though I'm going to see you soon," Beverly said quietly. Jean-Luc paced away from her and stared out a view port. Presently he turned back to her.

"In a way you will, Beverly. Because it will still be me in the future. It is crucial that you do not worry too much about me. You have to take care of yourself and the baby. That's the hardest and most important task for either of us."

Feeling the arrival of angry tears, Beverly closed her med kit. "Jean-Luc, I know you're planning something. If you don't tell me, I'm going to ask Zev."

He shook his head. "There's nothing to tell," he said softly. He stared at her for a few moments. "I never would have believed that we would ever be together."

"In this time and place, I never believed it either," she admitted.

"But you thought of it."

"Yes. All the time."

He shrugged. "So in the future, does he—have I told you how I really feel?"

She froze. "Not completely…but then there hasn't been time."

"No time?" He walked closer. "I had twelve years didn't I? I should have known I would still be a weak and frightened man."

She laughed. "You're not weak."

He laughed too. "Oh, when it comes to you I am. I always have been." He took a deep breath in. "But seeing you and your courage to come and save my life-twice, has given me the courage to tell you something important."

She swallowed as he closed the distance between them. She reached out to take his hand. "I love you, Beverly."

"Jean-Luc, I love you too."

"We've got the neutralizer free," Riker announced, stepping into the room. He halted awkwardly, but unfortunately they couldn't wait any longer. And he knew that they knew this fact as well as he did. "Doctor, I'm sorry, but we should be getting back now," he said.

She nodded and then slowly released Jean-Luc's hand and backed away. "I know."

Picard said nothing, but his gaze spoke volumes. He watched as they walked out of the room before calling after them. "I look forward to meeting you both again…in the future."

* * *

Picard walked out onto the bridge to find Zev and Brom standing in the command area. To his surprise, Vigo stood nearby wearing handcuffs. He looked dazed but not particularly dangerous. Beverly, Riker, Kad, and Bok had traveled back into the future, using the Pillar of Time, and he hadn't wanted to actually see them leave.

Picard gestured for Brom to approach him. Zev's eyes narrowed, but she stayed put. Picard leaned against the tactical station. "If the timeline is corrected, we both know what will happen," he said in a lowered voice.

Brom bared his sharp teeth. "I will be destroyed, as will my ship and crew."

Picard crossed his arms over his chest and looked down in contemplation. "Perhaps if we are able to retain anything of what we know now… we will both act differently."

"Are you suggesting that we manipulate the timeline again?"

"No. I'm just suggesting we have faith in both of our capacities to exercise common sense and restraint when our two ships come in contact again."

Brom scoffed. "I have no faith in myself to act wisely in the correct timeline, much less to remember what we're talking about now."

"Fine…if you are killed in the so-called Picard Maneuver, I promise you that should your family approach me for restitution or assistance in the future, I will be bound by contract to help them. I already executed and sent the necessary documents into the future with Beverly."

"No matter the cost of restitution?" Brom's eyes widened. "Are you a wealthy human?"

"No. But it doesn't matter, I'll find whatever latinum they demand and provide it. A promise is a promise."

"Why are you offering this?"

"I'm not sure…but just because the events in the other timeline have to occur I'm not convinced that those events have the best to offer all of us. You are to die, for instance. And it's in this alternate time after all, that I fathered a child with the woman I love. How can that be wrong? Despite all of the bad things that have happened, that one thing has made me so happy, Brom."

"And what else?"

"And I need a favor from you." He glanced over at Zev and Vigo and then lowered his voice again. "I need you to bring Zev and Vigo to the nearest star base. It is imperative that they reach Starfleet safely. I have every faith that Zev will kill any number of your crew, should you turn on her. But I expect you to give them safe passage on board your ship."

Brom tilted his head. "Why don't you bring them yourself?"

Picard closed his eyes briefly. "My ship won't be available. You see, I'm going to crash the _Stargazer_ into the Malkatan base."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and for all your reviews. For those interested, I am working again on "A Full Circle", which I had started writing earlier this year. It's the sequel to Man Out of Time, but has zero time travel, although probably some flashbacks and the usual weirdness. Anyway, thanks... T.A.F.K.A.P.P.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

* * *

"It seems that Commander Obi has chosen to show you compassion, Doctor. I would say that this is remarkably forgiving of him, given that you tried to kill him not long ago." Counselor Troi stood in the _USS_ _Aldrin's_ brig, as the guard deactivated the detention cell and released Johanna Mayer.

Mayer stepped out of the cell and met Troi's gaze coolly. "I most certainly did not try to kill him," she said, and then stepped past Deanna.

Troi followed her out into the corridor. "You seem to forget that I was present in sick bay when you aimed and shot him. Or were you trying to kill Captain Riker instead…or maybe Doctor Crusher? You are aware she's pregnant aren't you?"

Mayer halted and turned to glare at Troi. "Nothing I say is going to make you believe that I didn't want to hurt anyone…so why try?" She resumed her walk through the hallway.

Troi continued her pursuit. "I actually do believe you didn't want to hurt anyone—which makes your actions even that more bizarre."

Mayer whirled around in front of her. "What do you want from me? An apology? Because I already apologized to Patrick, and I'll have you know that he forgives me."

Deanna smiled slightly. "Just what were you trying to accomplish, Doctor Mayer?"

The woman looked as though she was about to retreat again, but instead she looked down at the deck. She ran a hand through her hair. "I—I just desperately wanted to stop them from changing things back to the way they were."

"How exactly were things?" Troi asked quietly.

Mayer stared down at the deck again. "That detention cell back there…that was nothing compared to the prison of living with my father before he went out on that last mission."

"Your father was a scientist, like you?"

"As I said at the meeting, he was a brilliant engineer, and served on board the _Stargazer_ until its disappearance. And in the timeline I grew up in, he never returned, because the _Stargazer_ and all of its crew were captured by the Malkatans. Of course, until recently, no one knew why the _Stargazer_ disappeared…." Troi folded her arms over her chest expectantly but said nothing.

"I told you earlier, my father wasn't captured like the others, Counselor," Mayer continued. "According to the records Data salvaged, Starfleet Security sent a directive to the _Stargazer_ crew to bring my father into custody to await prosecution for the murders of my mother and brother. Captain Picard must have tried to arrest him, but my father escaped somehow. He didn't show up on the final crew reported manifest—he wasn't on the Stargazer when it went missing."

"And yet, in the timeline which we are trying to preserve—the one in which Bok's son's ship attacked and was destroyed by the Stargazer, Picard's ship was lost and several crew members, including your father, died," said Troi.

Johanna nodded but said nothing for a moment. "I didn't know that before…before I stormed into sick bay like that."

"Johanna, I can sense that you are coming to a realization. Inside your mind, you are coming to a conclusion—a horrible one. You said believe that your father is still alive."

"Yes…at least I believe he was alive long enough to set events in motion."

Troi tried to concentrate enough to let the woman's thoughts and emotions flow through her. "What events, Johanna?"

Johanna Mayer finally looked at her directly. "I think he's the reason Bok obtained the singularity net; in fact I think he sold it to him. And I think he was driven by revenge against Picard, just as much as Bok was."

* * *

 _"_ _Acting Captain's Log, Supplemental: The Klingons have now joined the fight against the Malkatan invasion on the edge of Earth's solar system, but it may be too late. The Federation's forces are severely depleted. What's more, the Vulcan High Council has ordered the majority of its defense forces to return to Vulcan and defend their own people. We expect the Andorians and Tellarites will follow the Vulcans soon and return to protect their own home worlds. I never thought I would live to witness the disintegration of the United Federation of Planets. All subspace contact with Earth was lost hours ago—meanwhile the Malkatans continue to descend on the Alpha Quadrant with a wave of highly advanced ships and weaponry. They are no less than a plague…and nothing we have done so far has even come close to stopping them."_

Commander Patrick Obi closed the log entry with a quick tap of his finger and stared at the forward view screen. The Bok's Ferengi Marauder hung in space in front of them. It had been hours now since Captain Riker, Doctor Crusher and Kad had traveled into the past using an ancient artifact called the Pedestal of Time which had been either bought or stolen by Bok, and had apparently been instrumental in his plans to destroy Picard and his legacy.

Riker and Crusher's plan had been to travel to 2355 to try and stop Daimon Bok from murdering Captain Picard. According to Bardo, the Ferengi left in charge over there, the three had not yet returned. Commander Obi, currently acting Captain, sat now and wondered how much longer before he would be ordered by Command—or what was left of it-to leave the area near Maxia.

Obi's arm felt heavy and dull from the pain killers they had injected him with after Johanna Mayer had shot him. He was unsure of why he still had growing feelings for this woman. Maybe it was just the stress of the situation. She'd tried to kill indiscriminately in sick bay, and in so doing had destroyed the only neutralizer in their possession. As a result Riker was now trying to bring the neutralizer used by Picard to escape the Malkatan base back in 2355. Johanna Mayer had caused a lot of trouble, but just like the rest of them she was struggling with the fact that the timeline they were in might just not be the correct one—whatever that meant. For all Obi knew he would disappear himself as soon as the timeline was corrected.

So despite her bad behavior and arrogance, he felt for Doctor Mayer; her father had been abusive and insane, and she had fervently believed that if Riker and Crusher were successful in saving the _Stargazer_ crew, her father would survive and ruin the life and career she had built for herself; and possibly even kill her. Obi had ordered her released from detention—a move he doubted Captain Riker would approve of. He shrugged his doubts away. He'd deal with Riker's anger later. For now Johanna remained under guard and was assisting LaForge, Data and Wesley Crusher with reprogramming CASU with the neutralizer data salvaged from the destroyed runabout. If all went well with that, they'd have a formidable weapon to strike the Malkatans with.

 **"** Commander, we are receiving a priority message from the _USS Phoenix_ , in Sector 001, sir."

Commander Obi rubbed his tired eyes and sat forward in the command chair.

"On screen," he said wearily.

Admiral Nakamura's fuzzy image appeared on the forward view screen. Even with the subspace interference he could see that the bridge of Nakamura's ship was filled with smoke and the man's face was battered and bruised.

"Admiral," Obi greeted him, sitting up straighter.

Nakamura merely nodded. "Has Captain Riker returned with the device you mentioned?"

"No sir. As you know, he and Doctor Crusher traveled into the past to obtain the neutralizer device. Our hope is that they will return within the hour."

Nakamura glanced in back of him then back at the screen. His eyes narrowed. "As you know, Patrick, ten of our remaining starships were recalled to Earth to defend our home. Your ship was included in that directive, but Captain Riker refused to go—"

"Sir, he had his reasons…."

Nakamura suddenly slammed his hand down on his armrest with uncharacteristic anger. "Commander Obi, _we_ are the only two starships still in communication, and as far as I know, every ship recalled to Earth has been destroyed. These smaller ships aren't equipped to stave off this invasion. Who is going to defend what's left of humanity if not us? All contact with the nine ships in orbit around Earth has ceased as you well know."

"Sir, we've been working on modifying our CASU unit and believe it could be launched defensively against the Malkatan warships—"

"Good, we need every weapon we can gather. New orders, Obi…time is running out. We need the _Aldrin's_ firepower. We can't wait any longer for Riker. You are to _immediately_ plot a rendezvous course with the remaining ships."

Obi stood up quickly. The time had come to make that decision. "Aye sir."

* * *

"What are you thinking, Wes?"

Wesley turned to look at Geordi. He didn't say anything, and returned to tuning one of CASU's hydraulic knee joints.

"Come on man, spit it out!" LaForge patted his young friend on the shoulder.

"Dammit, it's no good!" Wesley suddenly stood up and threw his hyper spanner across the room. It clattered to the floor and skidded into a wall. Data and Doctor Mayer turned from an engineering console to stare at the teenager.

Geordi frowned and put his hand on Wesley's shoulder again. "Hey…Wes, take it easy. What's no good?"

Wes covered his face with his hands. "Take it _easy_? The whole Federation is about to be wiped out, and you're telling me to take it easy?"

"Wesley," said Data, approaching. "Your distress is understandable; however it does not aid our situation."

"Then what will help our situation, Data? Some last ditch effort to make CASU into some kind of advanced torpedo? We all know this isn't going to be enough to stop the Malkatans," Wesley argued.

"The key is to focus your efforts without letting your emotions interfere," Johanna Mayer spoke up, still at her workstation.

LaForge laughed caustically. "You're one to talk, lady! You almost killed several people with that stunt in sick bay. Where was all of your control then?"

"I fail to comprehend the value of this conversation," Data chimed in, reaching down to pick up Wesley's hyper spanner tool. He handed it carefully to Wesley.

Wesley put his hands up in the air suddenly and focused on Dr. Mayer again. For some reason just then Captain's voice from that early morning in Ten Forward seemed to echo through his brain. " _And that is the key. You must always trust yourself. As long as you always do that, you will never fail."_

"Wait a minute…what did you just say?" Wesley demanded of Dr. Mayer.

She fixed him with a cold stare. "Forget it—"

He shook his head distractedly. "No, no…you were talking about a 'key' just now. What did you mean?"

She continued to stare at him uncomprehending.

Wesley suddenly snapped his fingers. "The _key_! Remember what the Traveler told us in sickbay? The neutralizer isn't just some technology we can make into a weapon—it's a key."

"Yeah a key to escape one of those singularity net prisons he was telling us about," said Geordi. "Like the one that trapped Captain Picard back in the altered 2355. But we aren't in one of those, Wes."

Wesley turned to his friend. "How do we know that, Geordi? So many crazy things have happened in the last four months…I mean, how do we really know?"

"Why don't you tell Wesley your theory, Doctor Mayer?"

They all turned to see Counselor Troi standing in the doorway. She fixed her gaze on Mayer. "Why don't you tell them about your father?"

Johanna leaned with her back to the engineering console. She seemed almost relieved as she explained what she had told Troi in the corridor. Everyone remained silent as she spoke. When she was finished she sat down in a nearby chair and watched the others, awaiting their reaction.

"So if he's still alive, where the hell is he?" Geordi asked.

"Where or _when_ is he?" Troi offered.

"Troi's right," Wesley broke in excitedly. "If Dr. Mayer's father sold the singularity net to Bok, then couldn't we reverse the effect of what's happening now, by going back in time and stopping him?"

Geordi nodded. "Right, because if Bok doesn't obtain the net, then neither will the Malkatans, right? I mean, he and Kad rented it to them or something after all."

"It is an interesting proposal," said Data. "If the exact moment in time at which Bok encountered Dr. Erwin Mayer were determinable, we might be able to prevent the two of them from meeting. However, there are so many different variables, that it may not be successful at all."

"Data's right, this is a long shot, everybody," Geordi said. "Risky time travel aside, this is based on the premise that Doctor Mayer's theory about her father; all of it, is correct."

"Assuming that Johanna is correct, if there's any hope of getting this right, you know who has to come along with us..." said Troi.

"We need Bok," Wesley agreed.

* * *

"Something's wrong," a voice said. Was it his? No…Will Riker looked down through a swirling white light and saw that Beverly was still wrapped in his embrace. It had been her speaking. They both swayed as the feeling of vertigo was slow to subside. Had they been moving? If so, he told himself, "we're not moving anymore". Gradually as their surroundings grew less fuzzy, the lines of the interior of what seemed to be a ship became clearer and more defined. They were back on Bok's ship—back in 2367.

"Something's not right," he heard her repeat.

"I know," Riker mumbled, agreeing with Beverly's statement. "I still feel like I'm moving too," he said slowly. His tongue felt thick in his mouth, as though he'd been walking through a desert without water for days. And yet, it almost felt as though he was standing in a puddle. Looking down, he realized dizzily that he was. "Where'd all this water come from?" he asked Beverly who was also looking down at their feet.

"Me," she said with surprising calm. She looked up at him and it was then that his eyes dropped to her belly. It was clear even to him that Beverly was now nine months pregnant.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

 **In the Void…**

"Please…let me go," he pleaded.

"I will not," was the reply. The tall alien seemed to stand in a bottomless void. It had not moved it seemed, for ages, even though he hadn't been there nearly that long.

And the Traveler was also in a void. Poor Wesley Crusher. As long as the Traveler was trapped in this prison, the boy would be left alone to try and figure this all out on his own. Of course, his friends would help him, but the solution had to come from the young human. The Traveler could feel that this was true.

He reached his arm out to appeal again to the immense alien. Its cavernous and toothless mouth opened in as though miming speech, but no sound came out. Instead its words pierced the tortured brain of the Traveler as though they were bursting from the inside of his own mind. "Please," the Traveler pleaded again.

"Your transgressions must be addressed," said the words of the Jailor inside his mind. "If I let you go, who will answer for your crimes?"

"I—I can still correct the timeline."

"You are foolish and arrogant to even try," boomed the Jailor. "There is more than one correct time. You suggest that there is only one because you have no comprehension of what you have done. Your belief that there is only one correct time in which all beings exist is in error. You have not yet learned the lesson which is as old as time. The interconnecting pieces of time have been torn apart and rearranged by the events you set into motion when you loosed the Prison on a part of the universe in which it was never meant to exist."

"That is why I must be freed! I must be allowed to try and return the time continuum to the way it was before the Malkatans obtained the Prison."

"You are a Traveler, not a Shaper. The pieces cannot be put back together…not by you. You will not leave here until you come to understand this. If you do not come to understand, you will die here in this void."

* * *

 **Earth 2367 (Altered timeline)**

"Captain Martens to Picard." Although Captain Martens' voice sounded a bit groggy, the recently revived captain of the _USS Corsair_ was now wide awake and no longer alone on her bridge. The process by which Jellico had been freed from the Malkatan beam on the _Enterprise_ had now been repeated on the other eight ships in orbit, each with a catatonic captain on its bridge as the sole present crew member. The plan was to locate the other Starfleet officers and get them out of there, and then launch a final attack on the Malkatans. He hadn't quite allowed himself to consider just how final it might be.

"Picard here."

"All ships are up and running," said Martens. "We're understaffed of course, but we can autopilot all of our ships until we get within transporter range of the holding area for the prisoners. Assuming they're still alive, of course."

"I would urge you to try and keep a positive attitude, Captain," said Picard. "But who am I kidding?"

He heard Martens laughing, and realized it had been some time since he'd heard a sincere laugh. They both sobered quickly, and he knew she was thinking just as he was, whether they would find anyone alive. "Please proceed to the intercept point without the Enterprise," he said. "We'll catch up with you in less than half an hour," he said, shooting a look at Worf over his shoulder.

There was a pause on her end. "You don't intend to leave us in the lurch do you, Captain?"

"Certainly not," he said. Change of plans, he thought to himself. We pick up whoever we can now, because there might not be a later after we attack the Malkatan base in the South Pacific. And that was when he felt the wave force itself through him. He slumped forward on the helm console.

"Son!" vaguely he heard Mary shouting for him to wake up and get it together. The time phase began slowly to pass and he felt like himself again. But as he pushed himself up from the console, for a moment it appeared as though this was the helm console on the _Stargazer_ not the _Enterprise_. And for a moment he felt utterly consumed by revenge toward someone he had never even heard of. _General Unh._ That name again. A voice floated in his head, and it sounded exactly like his; and yet he wasn't speaking at all. _I intend to kill him. If he is destroyed, things will go back to the way they should be. The correct timeline will be restored._ _Just crash the ship… do it._

Suddenly he heard and felt a sharp slap on his cheek. "Wake up, son! Snap _out_ of it! This is not the time for you to leave us for never-never land," Mary shouted in his ear. His hand came up protectively to the welt on his face. He looked sideways up at Mary with alarm.

"What the hell was that for?!" he demanded.

Mary put her arm around his shoulders. "Jean-Luc you were phasing out of existence again. What on earth is happening to you, son?"

Suddenly he felt his eyes tear up, and he blinked them away. For the first time in more than a day he allowed himself to think about Beverly. He had willed himself to stop thinking of her, because it was so painful to do so. According to Troi, Beverly had run off into the past on a risky journey. She was attempting to save his past self, to in turn save his life once again. Of course she believed she knew best. Well so did he. And what he knew was that this existence of his was impermanent. He was going to die, no matter what, because he did not belong in this time; not in this way. And he would do what he needed to stop the Malkatans. And after that was done, he would try with all of his might to reunite with the others to find Beverly and to see his new child. And then, but please not before, he would cease to exist.

He took a deep breath and looked up at Mary again. "Nothing. Nothing is happening to me. Please go and have a seat in the command center, Mary."

Mary grumbled something, but turned to leave him alone at the helm as he had requested. He watched as she sat to the left of the captain's chair, which continued to be occupied by Spot the cat. The rest of the bridge was disorganized, but busy. He glanced back at Worf who stood at tactical and they exchanged a nod. If Worf was concerned that Picard might disappear again, he hadn't said anything. Worf, he knew, was now focused on finding his parents and his son.

A few Starfleet officers of various ranks as well as civilian scientists now wandered around the bridge. Some new what they were doing; and some did not. As long as they stayed away from the weapons and the helm, he felt moderately safe. He had been unable to find a suitably trained pilot out of the survivor pool, and consequently continued to pilot the Enterprise himself.

Some of the survivors the _Enterprise_ had rescued from Earth had already transferred over to the Corsair and the other seven ships, including the USS Sentinel, which was now Captained by Jellico, as the ship's assigned captain had been injured and was unfit for command. Jellico, however, was still unhappy that Picard had his ship.

Picard turned back to the helm. He had already plotted the course, and now initiated the correct sequence. The ship began to pull away from the rest of the convoy.

"Captain Jellico to Picard," came the immediate and predictable objection.

"Picard here."

"The Enterprise has deviated from our agreed upon course, Picard."

"You are an extremely perceptive officer, Captain Jellico," Picard replied. "It's really no wonder you moved up through the ranks so quickly."

"Picard, I don't trust you," came Jellico's humorless reply.

"And I don't care," Picard said, as the European continent quickly became visible on the view screen. "I said I would rendezvous with you as soon as I can."

"You have the modified weapon, Picard. You'd better not let us—" Annoyed, Picard slapped his communications link, cutting the channel.

"Now," he said with quiet resolve. "Let's go find our people."

* * *

Riker was speechless, which in itself would have been more notable, had Beverly not been so distracted with her own issues. "I'm alright," she reassured him, as he grabbed her forearm protectively. They stepped carefully over Bok and Kad who were untangling themselves from a pile on the floor.

"What _is_ this?" Kad and Bok both exclaimed, when they saw the puddle on the floor.

"Life," Riker said sharply turning to look down at them. "And just be glad you've escaped with your own lives. You're both lucky that Zev is loyal to Captain Picard, and that he decided to let you live. I could tell Zev isn't so much the forgiving type."

"What now," Bok demanded, getting to his feet.

"We're going back to the _Aldrin_. If you want to help us try and stop Mayer, you can beam over with us and continue planning. Or you're on your own. Either way, she needs medical care immediately." He tapped his communicator. "This is Captain Riker. Two to beam directly to sickbay."

* * *

"Can you hear me, Beverly?"

Beverly blinked and looked up into the face of the _Aldrin's_ CMO. She was lying down on a bio bed in sickbay. She nodded. "Yes. What's going on? We were on Bok's ship and then the beam over…."

"Your body was in shock, Beverly," said the doctor. "We've got you under sedation now. Traveling through time has placed undue physical stress on your body, not to mention the emotional distress I am sure you have undergone recently."

Beverly felt a tear roll down her cheek. "What about the baby?" She tried to sit up.

The doctor put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "The baby is fine, but we need to start the birthing process right away."

"I—I can't feel the lower half of my body."

The CMO smiled down at her. "Relax, you don't need to do any of the work for once. This is going to be a surgical visit today, Doctor."

Panic filled her heart and mind. "Where are my friends? Where's Troi?"

"I'm right here, Beverly," Deanna said, sliding her chair forward. "You're going to be just fine and I'm going to stay with you."

She felt the air grow heavy. "Can't happen yet," she murmured, feeling the effects of the sedative. "Where's Jean-Luc? He was going to meet us out here. Did he get the saucer section? Did he escape Earth…." Her eyelids shut, and she willed them open again.

Troi hesitated. "Beverly, you know Captain Picard would be here if he could."

Beverly shook her head back and forth drowsily. "No, you're not telling me everything, Troi…don't lie…don't lie to me."

She felt Deanna squeeze her hand tightly. Suddenly the counselor's grip grew tighter and she felt a rapid flutter in her chest. "What's wrong?" she heard Troi say to the doctor. "What's happening?" her friend repeated.

The shouts around her were disjointed in her brain, but she knew everything was going wrong. "Patient's heart-rate is elevated. She's destabilizing!"

* * *

 **2367 Malkatan Controlled South Pacific—Earth**

"It's happening again, isn't it?" Major Razul stared at his commanding officer with open curiosity—and not a shred of concern.

General Unh turned at the command station where he was standing, to glare at his subordinate. Major Razul had always wanted his job. Unh knew if he continued to phase like this, he would be too weak a target for Razul to resist attempting a coup. But if such an opportunity were to present itself, General Unh might have some additional tricks up his sleeve.

Razul walked closer. "The prisoners continue to revolt, General. Perhaps the time has come to destroy them."

"How many of the Starfleet officers do we have in our custody at this time, Razul?"

"Somewhere around six thousand obtained from the orbiting ships. And several hundred thousand throughout our temporary bases on each continent, General. But without the ships they are too weak and disorganized. They are hardly worth guarding," Razul added.

General Unh grunted and stared out a view port into the vast ocean. There were no such things on Malkata, the old home world. This alien world fascinated him. And now it was his to explore and subjugate to the Malkatan will.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Razul was standing next to him. And then another wave entered his body taking him briefly away from this time and place. He shook himself out of it.

"What does it mean?" Razul asked slowly. "What does it mean that you phase away from us and then back again, General?"

Unh eyed him. "It means Razul, that somewhere, in some other time…someone is trying to kill me," he said slowly. _Picard._ Breaking into a cruel smile he clenched his sharp fingernails into the palm of his hand until it bled blue. Then he broke into a rolling laugh. "But not if I kill _him_ first…."


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

* * *

 **2367 San Francisco, Approximately one month after the loss of the Star drive**

She was staring at him over the rim of her wine glass again. He chewed his food quickly and then swallowed in anticipation of another pointed question flying from the opposite side of the table, but then Beverly apparently dropped whatever she had considered asking with a silent shrug.

She put her glass down and clasped her hands in front of her on the table. All of a sudden she looked so serious that he was prompted to ask her what was wrong.

She actually laughed at that, which he did not expect. "What's wrong? I was just pondering the futility of asking you that exact question, Jean-Luc. Because you _never_ tell me what's bothering you. So I invited you over to have a delicious dinner-"

"And it _was_ delicious," he agreed.

"-thank you...and I also invited you over so I'd have someone to have a pleasant conversation with," she finished. "But you've been stone faced the entire time. You look as though you are trying to think a complex problem through and I'm just distracting you."

He smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Beverly. I didn't intend to be so rude," he explained.

She sat back in her chair and sighed, fiddling with her fork on the tabletop. "It's not that you're being rude...look," she sat forward again making eye contact. "Is it wrong that I want you to enjoy being here with me?"

He took a sip of wine and then put the glass down and carefully examined it. He felt her gaze, but didn't look up. "You know I'm not very adept at expressing my feelings," he said, turning the glass around. "But...of course I enjoy being here. Very much so," he added softly with a furtive glance. He could feel the uncomfortable tingling in his extremities he often felt lately before it happened. Before his limbs disappeared in front of his very eyes and he found himself somewhere entirely different. And each time the peering yellow eyes, cold hands and fetid breath of his alien captors became that much more real to him. Even sitting here, he could hear their cruel laughter. They were trying to torture him…but what did they want?

Alarmed by her friend's vacant stare, Beverly reached across the table and took his hand in both of hers. "Look at me," she said quietly.

He straightened and raised his gaze to meet hers, coming back to this reality for now.

"Jean-Luc, it's only been about a month since we lost the star drive..." She trailed off, because the muscles in his jaw twitched visibly at the mere mention of the incident. He blinked and tried to pull his hand away, but she held on tightly until he relaxed his arm.

"Maybe it would help you to talk to someone about it," she pressed on. "You haven't said more than a few words to me about it, and I know Deanna tried-"

"I told the investigator from Starfleet Intelligence enough already," he murmured. "They seemed satisfied…."

"No...I mean you haven't told me how you've been _feeling_. I know it's been so difficult for you, Jean-Luc. Even you can't hide that well."

"The star drive wasn't lost," he said with a faraway look on his face. "I destroyed it."

"Will you stop blaming yourself?"

He looked at her sharply, but she could see that his anger was directed inward. "No. Because there is no one else to blame," he said. "I made a serious error of judgment, and now I must face the consequences of my actions."

"You know...I've heard you say that over and over, Jean-Luc, but you've never actually said what your mistake was. Why don't you want to tell me?"

"I do...I do want to," he insisted.

"Then why-"

"I can't..."

She let go of his hand and slumped back in her chair in frustration. She covered her eyes with her palms and for a moment he wondered if she was going to tell him to get the hell out of her apartment. Finally to his surprise she laughed instead, and dropped her hands into her lap. "Fine," she said. "When it comes to your emotions, Jean Luc, you have to be the most stubborn person I've ever known. Do you know that Jack used to tell me everything he was thinking and feeling to the point that it sometimes drove me crazy?"

He smiled despite his discomfort. "No, I didn't know that. He certainly did enjoy talking. I always admired his openness with people," he admitted.

"Well in many ways you're the opposite of Jack, but that's probably no surprise to you."

He smiled slightly. "No. Although I can say I've made a concerted effort over the years to avoid comparing myself to Jack."

"Why?" She asked.

He smiled incredulously. "Must you ask me that _right now_?"

She took in a deep breath and then frowned, realizing they had entered dangerous territory. "You're right...let's change the subject," she said. She got up from her chair and reached out her hand to him.

He looked up at her uncertainly, but put his hand in hers. She tugged at his hand and he stood up, and just like that they were in such close proximity again. She reached up to touch beneath his chin and he was suddenly conscious that he needed to shave. He almost said as much, but she ran her fingers along his jawline and all sensible thought exited his mind. "Oh," he managed to say.

She smiled at him. "Do you like that?" she asked softly.

He nodded and felt his lip tremble a little bit as she continued talking to him in a soft voice. "Remember when I told you back on the Enterprise that I had wanted to kiss you? And how you said you had wanted me to?"

He swallowed. With all of the turmoil in the last month, he had somehow forgotten what had passed between them; until now. "Yes," he said hoarsely.

She raised her eyebrows expectantly and moved closer to him. "Well? Now is your chance to show me."

When he kissed her then, he realized that she was the only refuge he had left; the only true love he would ever have. It was that kind of kiss.

Somehow they had fumbled themselves across the room and onto her couch. During a brief pause Picard asked, "what about Wesley?"

"What do you mean?" she mumbled before covering his mouth with her own.

"When is he coming home?" he breathed anxiously as her hand slipped underneath his shirt.

 _Shut up Jean-Luc,_ she thought. "Shh," she said, catching her breath. "Wesley lives in the Academy dorms, now, Jean-Luc, you know that," she said moving her hand to his lower back. "No one is going to interrupt us now, not even Riker."

The seriousness of her tone had caused him to stop biting her neck and pull back to look at her. "Riker," he said accusingly, before they had both erupted into laughter, because in that moment they both felt so free. But of course they had been interrupted, because that was the night that Jean-Luc fled her apartment after he began to phase once more out of existence. But it was good while it lasted, which sometimes is all you can ask.

* * *

 **2367 One Earlier on Board the Enterprise…**

" _Warning…warp core ejection systems have been initialized. Ten minutes until warp core ejection. Warning…."_

"Who are you?" Picard struggled to speak in the grip of the immense grey alien. Until this frightening being had arrived in Engineering and accosted him, he had been the only one left on the star drive.

"I am the Jailor," responded the booming voice, drowning out the computer's warning message. " _Where_ is the key? You must use it now!"

"I—I don't know what you are talking about. Now let me go! I am trying to save my ship, damn you…."

The alien abruptly dropped him onto the deck, and he scrambled backward. The alien bent over him menacingly, even as he pulled himself up and behind a workstation. "Are you the thief?" the booming voice demanded.

Picard tried to regain his focus, as he resumed his work, still aware that the Jailor loomed nearby. "Thief? No, I'm no thief. Why have you come on board my ship? Is all of this your doing?" he demanded, continuing to input the codes. Sweat poured down his forehead and ran into his eyes, stinging them and blurring his vision.

The interior of Engineering suddenly went dark. " **This is not my doing** ," the alien's voice vibrated inside his brain. He tried to shake it off as the computer continued to drone.

Abruptly the alien placed its long finger against his skull, and his mind was invaded by white hot pain.

"A thief has stolen my prison, and in so doing has disrupted all time; all life. Someone must be punished for this crime, and to see this punishment enforced is my task. Human, if you fail to use the key in the way it was meant to be used, the time rift will become worse. Every being must endure a kind of prison and this will be yours, Picard. You will undergo a continuous cycle of change and rebirth. You will continue to shift between realities, and you will be safe in none of them. It is the only way to ensure that you will do what must be done, Picard. And you will tell _no one_ what I have told you, or you and your own will suffer dire consequences. The continuity of time itself relies on you to undertake the correct action."

When the alien released him, it disappeared from Engineering as though it had never been there. He switched on a view screen and saw the massive singularity now looming behind his ship. He hit the intercom. "Picard to Riker."

"Captain! Captain, you have to stop what you are doing immediately," his first officer was shouting.

"You see it now, don't you, Will?" He moved his hands over the controls. "I know you must see it," he whispered to himself. It was no good. He had to separate the ship or they would be pulled into the spinning singularity.

"Captain, please just abort the program, and we can talk this through. I'll stand by you sir, but you have to stop what you're doing."

"No," said Picard. "No, you listen to _me_ , Riker. This is worse than I'd thought. You need to take the saucer section away from here at full impulse. Once the core has been ejected, the star drive will be saved and we can reconnect. I'm initiating saucer separation now."

The creature had told him he needed the key. Maybe separating the ship was the key. He heard shouting on the other end. Despite the concentration on his task, he recognized each of the voices of people he cared about.

 _"_ _Initiating emergency saucer separation…procedures. Warp core ejection in two minutes. Evacuation is recommended."_

He ignored the pleas from Riker and the others and rushed for the escape pod. He had found no key…but he had done what he had to do.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

* * *

 ** _The Aldrin_**

One of the security officers escorting Bok nodded for Wesley to get out of the way. "Kid, we have orders to bring this prisoner to meet with Captain Riker. I'm afraid your conversation will have to wait."

Wesley gave the two men his most annoyingly sullen teenage face. "Look guys, I just want to ask him one question. Can't you just leave us alone for _one_ minute?" He rolled his eyes in Bok's direction. "He's in restraints…not exactly dangerous. Plus, look at him, he's puny."

The other security officer shook his head no. "Sorry kid, I don't know who you think you are, but the Captain trumps you. You want to talk to this Ferengi; you'll have to wait your turn."

Wesley laughed. "Riker? Yeah right, the guy is a hack!"

The two officers looked at each other in confusion, and then turned back to Wesley. "Better watch your mouth, kid...what do you think the Captain would say if he heard you talking like that?"

"Like I care! What are you two idiots going to do-snitch on me?" Wesley moved his wrist and felt the hypo drop into the palm of his right hand. It was now or never. He grabbed Bok's arm and yanked the Ferengi toward him. Both officers descended on him.

"Hey! Listen you little sh—"

As soon as the lead officer reached out to grab Wesley's collar, he brought the hypo to the man's neck quickly. The guard immediately dropped to the deck unconscious.

"Hey!" When the second guard bent down to help his unconscious friend, Wesley emptied the rest of the hypo into his neck. As the guard slumped to the deck, Wesley turned to Bok, who was watching him with great interest.

Bok wrung his hands with mischievous delight. "How creative...and daring! To look at you, youngster, I never would have thought you had the _nools_ for this kind of work."

"Me neither," Wesley replied honestly. The fact was he'd expected Riker to say no to him. But he still had to try. Riker was the one who had taught him to always have a back-up plan. And so he'd planned for this. But still, as Wes stared down at the two unconscious men, regret began to creep into his heart. He shook it off. The only thing that mattered was finding Mayer and stopping him. Bok knew where and when to find Mayer, and so Bok had to go with him.

Gaining his resolve back quickly he stepped closer to Bok and grabbed the Ferengi by the arm. He spoke into his wrist communicator. "Transport code Crusher two, initiate." He and Bok were immediately transported away and into a small cargo bay. Bok was eyeing him even as they re-materialized.

* * *

"What exactly is your proposition, boy?" Bok yanked his arm away from Wesley. "I _demand_ to hear your terms before you surprise me with another transport."

Wesley glanced around the cargo bay. Based on the shift report he'd known staff had been moved to more crucial areas of the ship. At the same time, the very valuable piece he was looking for was in here somewhere, inside one of a hundred or so nondescript grey hexagonal containers.

He switched on his tricorder and began to scan the room for an electromagnetic wave.

"I demand to know your plan, young human! Speak! Riker, as stupid as he is has already realized I have escaped, and he is sending guards here to _kill_ me as we stand here!"

Wesley frowned down at the instrument in his hand. "He's not going to kill you, that's not his style...wait… _here_ it is," he suddenly exclaimed with delight.

"Here is _what_?" demanded Bok.

Still staring at the tricorder he followed its insistent beeping which grew more rapid as he approached his target. "Damn," he murmured stopping short. He turned to regard Bok and sighed in frustration. "There's a force field. Of course, they're not going to leave this thing completely unguarded."

Bok grinned. "The Pedestal is inside there…how clever. And your intent is what, Human? To return to the past and stop the madman Mayer from giving my past self the Singularity Net technology?" He began to giggle. "Child you know nothing, if you think you will trick Mayer. He is a genius who has _no_ soul. He carries only rage and evil inside of him."

Wesley clenched his jaw angrily. "Like the way you were when you used the Net against Captain Picard? I can't think of anything more evil than what you did. Look at the destruction you've caused, Bok."

Bok slowly shook his head, making his lobes wiggle. "You are very mistaken. _Yes_ , I was bent on revenge, and _yes_ , I enjoyed every minute of what I did to Picard, that self-righteous son of a slime devil. He _killed_ my offspring, after all!" He clutched his hands together again. "But now I have changed my ways, young hew-mon. In fact, I want to help…put things right," he insisted. "I did not intend for the Malkatans to advance upon our galaxy in the way they did. The Malkatans are as much a threat to the Ferengi as they are to the Federation. Do you think I want to lose all of my property to these…these _barbarians_?"

Wesley's eyes narrowed. "That was what I was hoping you'd say. Because you know where and when we can find Mayer, don't you? So all we have to do is use the Pedestal to take us there…stop Mayer and then travel back here. You can get us back here can't you?"

Bok blinked quickly trying to affect an innocent expression. "Of course I can…but I must know, young one; what is in it for _Bok_?"

"What's in it for you? Are you kidding me, Bok? You just admitted that you let the Malkatans overrun the galaxy, and that your people could be destroyed. Don't you want to be the hero? I thought you wanted to make things right!"

"I do," said Bok. "But…I need assurances that I will not go to prison if I risk my life to help you, boy."

"I'll use my influence to make sure you're not prosecuted," Wesley suddenly blurted out. "I promise." He knew he sounded desperate, that he'd given Bok too much, but he needed Bok's cooperation.

Bok's face changed slightly, and Wesley knew he'd made a mistake. He couldn't give Bok the upper hand. But he was desperate, seventeen years old, and trying to outwit a master negotiator. "You have _influence_?" Bok asked doubtfully. "Over who?"

"Captain—Captain Picard," Wes stuttered, now on completely shaky ground. "If I ask him to, he'll give you some kind of amnesty—I know he will."

"Picard is a dead man...in any timeline," Bok scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "He can no more give me amnesty than he can save each of his own pathetic lives."

Wesley balled up his fist and felt a sudden rage overtake him. He wanted more than anything to punch Bok right in his sensitive ear, but he remembered his goal. "A promise is a promise," Wesley said. "I'll do my best to make sure you're protected. Just help me, Bok. Or you're back in detention here on this ship."

Bok made a face, and then pointed at the container Wesley stood next to. "How are you going to destroy the force field?" he questioned. Wesley smiled internally, hoping that meant Bok had made his decision.

Wes shrugged. "I don't have to destroy it," he said. "Not if I can deactivate it." he turned away slightly and started typing some code into the tricorder. In less than a minute he had the correct frequency and the field was lowered. He quickly dropped the container's sides and the Pedestal of Time was exposed. It glowed hazily in the bright lighting of the cargo bay.

"I will get you where you want to go, young human," said Bok. "I will bring you to Mayer. But I cannot guarantee that you will make it back alive."

* * *

First the bright lights…then the faded beeping and muffled voices becoming clearer. Now the cold sharp dryness inside her nose, and a halting breath in. She could feel nothing below her chest. "My baby," she whispered.

"She's awake," she heard Deanna cry out. "She's awake, hurry!"

"Troi," Beverly whispered hoarsely. She felt the nurse at her side, checking her vitals. "Where is my baby? I can't feel anything."

Troi was holding her hand. "The baby is alright, Beverly. But she's in recovery right now. They need to monitor her for a bit longer."

Beverly felt herself smile. "She…she's a girl," she mumbled groggily.

"Yes," said Deanna with an exuberant laugh. "She's a girl. And she's very beautiful. And I can already tell she is going to be a handful, because she didn't want to leave you. She has quite a set of lungs."

"Hmm," Beverly shut her eyes. "Going to have a great voice, just like her father."

Deanna blinked back tears and smiled. "Yes, I think you're right about that."

Beverly turned her head to look at Troi. "Jean-Luc …he and Worf were going to take the _Enterprise_ and meet us out here. Where is he, Deanna?"

"Beverly, I'm sure he—"

"Troi, this is no time to make me feel better," interrupted Beverly. She paused as the nurse emptied a hypo of painkillers into her neck. Her brain was so fuzzy she couldn't focus on her words. "I need to know the-the truth."

"Alright," Deanna allowed slowly. "He's not here, Beverly. He's still on Earth. But the good news is, we're headed to Earth to see him now."

Beverly smiled dreamily. "So we've won…the Malkatans are finished then."

"Soon," said Troi, afraid that her friend might be able to detect the doubt creeping back into her tone. The truth was the Malkatans were far from finished. It was the Federation, by all accounts, which was struggling for its very survival. But as much as her friend needed the truth, Deanna needed to keep Beverly calm and safe. And updates about the war would not help her in that task.

"I need to see Wesley, then," Beverly said, shutting her eyes. "Can you tell him to come visit me?"

"Of course." Deanna smiled slightly and then hit her communicator. "Troi to Riker."

"Riker here—what is it, Troi, we've got a crisis up here."

Deanna froze at his words, and hesitated before she asked, "Can you tell Wesley to come to see Beverly in the hospital?"

Riker paused. "Are you alone?" Deanna shut her eyes slowly. _Of course I'm not alone, Will, I'm in the hospital with Beverly._

Beverly's eyes snapped open. She tried to sit up. "What is going on? Where is my son?"

"Beverly, calm down—"

"I _won't_ calm down, Deanna. Where is Wesley?" A nurse was at her side, administering another drug. She pushed at the nurse in frustration. "No! I've got to see my son…."

"Doctor Crusher," the nurse warned sternly. "If you don't sit still we will have to put you under sedation. Now you know the recovery protocols better than anyone, and—"

"Damn the protocols. Will, where is my son?" she demanded.

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Beverly, but he's disappeared,"_ said Riker. " _And I think he's taken Bok into the past to stop Mayer from altering time."_

* * *

 ** _Earth—Present Day Altered Timeline_**

"We have beamed up the last group of survivors from this region, Captain. The other starships report in that they are at full capacity for occupants now sir...as are we," Worf said, leaning on the tactical station. From orbit, the viewscreen showed the surface of the Earth, and that they had just passed over Southeast Asia. Worf tried not to think about his family, in particular his son. Due to the emergent situation, the transports had been quick and unceremonious, with little or no communication between the Enterprise and the survivors on the surface prior to each beam out. They had beamed up survivors from Russia, but he hadn't inquired about how many survivors had been rescued. He tried to focus on his post instead of useless guessing.

 _"Mary to Worf,"_

"Go ahead," said Worf. He gritted his teeth. Captain Picard had given the elder human a communicator. As a result, the old woman had been calling him every five minutes giving him updates on the survivors and "security" risks such as replicator malfunctions, and arguments among the all-volunteer "crew".

 _"There are some people down here asking for you, Mr. Worf."_

"Mary...I am presently engaged in my duties and we are about to enter battle in a matter of minutes. Would you please handle the problem yourself-"

 _"No, you misunderstood me, Worf! It's your parents and son! They're here on board and they're going to be fine."_

Worf froze. Alexander...alive? He raised his eyes and the Captain had turned from the helm and was regarding him seriously.

Worf straightened. "Sir...I cannot leave my post."

"Yes you can, and that's an order, Mr. Worf. Be back at your station in ten minutes," said Picard. He hesitated before turning back around. "You may never see them again, so don't waste any more time. _Go_ ," he urged Worf quietly. Inside his own mind a voice echoed the same words; except now he was thinking about Beverly again.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

* * *

 **The** ** _Aldrin_**

Riker stood next to his CMO and stared down at his unconscious friend. "How is she?" he asked quietly.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

Riker looked sharply at the doctor. "Just tell me what her condition is!"

"Doctor Crusher's repeated and rapid travel backwards and forwards through time, in concert with her accelerated pregnancy, has left her mind and body out of sync. At first we thought she was having trouble coming out of the anesthesia, but the disorientation effect remained the longer she was awake. In addition, she continues to ask for Captain Picard, and her son Wesley, but she does not remember what year it is."

Riker rubbed his jaw. "I never should have let her go back there." He sighed. "Can it be remedied?"

The CMO frowned down at his patient. "Once she's out of the acute stage of surgical recovery, we can try counseling, and psychoactive drugs to try and bring her slowly back into this time and place. But what she needs most right now, is quiet and stability."

Riker leaned on over the bed and squeezed Crusher's hand lightly. "Two things in real short supply right about now," he muttered. He straightened. "Is she safest while sedated?"

"Yes. For now, that is the best course of action."

Riker nodded. "Then let's keep her sedated. But…I'll let you know when she should be revived. I know Beverly, and there are events she won't want to sleep through." Will glanced toward the adjacent room. "Please tell me her baby is alright? It—I mean she's not rapidly aging…is she?"

The doctor shook his head. "The newborn appears both physically and neurologically healthy. You can see her for yourself if you like."

Riker smiled at the prospect despite his solemn mood, but then sobered. "She hasn't even had a chance to hold her baby yet, has she?"

"No."

"I'll wait then," Riker decided.

* * *

 **Glanau 2366**

Wesley was greeted by disorientation and bright light, and had to blink a few times before he could see and feel that he was standing again on solid ground. Gradually he came to see that he and Bok stood on a desolate plain. A dry wind whistled over the rocky ground, and whipped through his hair. He crouched down, and put his hand up to shade his brow from the sun and blowing sand, looking off into the distance. The sky was cloudless and the color of mustard. He breathed in. Well it was an M class planet at least. "Where are we?" he asked getting to his feet again. He kicked at the rough landscape with his boot.

Bok squinted at him. "We're in the desert region of the planet called Glanau," said the Ferengi. It is located in Ferengi territory, so you may never have heard of it."

" _When_ are we?" Wes asked more uncertainly.

"About one Earth year ago."

"This is where you met Mayer? In the middle of the desert? How did he get all the way out here into Ferengi territory?"

Bok broke into a slow smile. "Well he had years to get here, didn't he? Besides, Mayer can be wherever he wants at any time. In fact, he can be in many places at once, as you will soon have the misfortune of learning first-hand, young human. Look," he said pointing across the desert.

Squinting, Wesley could see a small, but brightly colored building shimmering in the distance. "What is it?"

"What else would it be in the middle of a barren desert? It is a bar of course."

"You mean like a place to get a drink?"

"It is a place to do _business_ , youngster."

Wesley shrugged. "As long as Mayer is in there," he said, beginning to walk toward the shimmering structure in the distance. As he walked by Bok, he saw the Ferengi bend down, but didn't think anything of it. And so when Bok stood up swiftly and slammed a large rock into the side of Wesley's head, Wesley didn't have time to think, much less evade the attack.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

* * *

Bok left the unconscious and bleeding human quite literally in the dust and wandered away. If the boy died, it was none of his concern. Rummaging through the boy's small pack of belongings, he grabbed the control device needed to return with the Pedestal, and then reconsidered and just dropped it into his pocket. The odds were the humans had once again confiscated the Pedestal on board the _Aldrin_. The last thing he needed was a one way ticket back into Starfleet custody.

He knew that a small space port lay to the east of the bar. He could avoid seeing Mayer and catch a ride off-world. From there, the galaxy would be his to travel freely again. He would re-build his wealth and be more influential and admired than ever before. Bok smiled to himself. The plan seemed like a good one.

Then his feet began inexplicably to steer him toward the bar, no matter how much he intended to walk in the opposite direction. It was at first infuriating, but then once he realized the cause, he became highly anxious. He couldn't stop it. His thoughts became blurry, and he knew that it was Mayer's singularity technology that was influencing his movements. Before Bok knew it, he was standing in the doorway looking into the crowded bar, just as he had on that fateful day. It occurred to him that this was in fact that fateful day, and that Mayer would be waiting inside for him.

Unable to stop himself walking forward, he lifted one foot and then the other until he was standing in front of a table. Seated at the table was a middle-aged human male with long ratty blonde hair and a large hideous scar on the right side of his face where his ear had once been.

* * *

Mayer tilted his head upward and fixed Bok with his piercing gaze. In the palm of his hand was a spinning black orb. Bok knew it very well. Too well, in fact. Even more than revenge it's peculiar influence had been the reason he had destroyed Picard's life in such a complete way. It was the reason for everything. "Where is the boy?" Mayer asked in his quiet voice. He did not seem at all surprised to see Bok. "The one who intended to stop me?"

"Wha-what do you want?" Bok stuttered, his eyes bulging with the effort of trying to fight the singularity device's hold on him.

"Your antics have put me at risk, Bok," Mayer continued in his deceptively quiet tone. "You failed to end Picard for all time, and now I am a hunted man."

Bok frowned. "Picard cannot hunt you—he is very likely to die soon in any of the timelines in which he is now at risk. In fact at Maxia I believe he intends to return to Malkata and attack the General's stronghold. He is suicidal."

"Picard will be dead soon, I agree," said Mayer. "In fact, I may pay him a visit in the past and ensure he meets his demise in 2355 as we originally intended before your failure…but no, it is not Picard who hunts me, Bok, it is someone far more powerful. And if he finds me, I will tell him of your role in this and you will be his prey as well." Mayer smiled, and revealed toothless gums. "Now, where is the boy?"

"I left him in the desert to die," Bok sneered.

Mayer said nothing, but then his eyes alighted on something or someone over Bok's shoulder. Bok turned to see, and felt his ears buzz. It was him. Bok. His past self had walked into the bar and was looking around curiously. But past-Bok hadn't yet noticed Mayer or his future self yet. Bok turned back to Mayer, unable to keep the fear out of his eyes.

"Have you ever heard that theory, Bok…the one in which you meet an exact replica of yourself, and because both of you cannot exist in one universe, both instantly cease to exist?"

"No—no."

Mayer laughed. "Well it is just a theory—and a false one at that. Believe me, I have met myself a thousand times over since I found and _perfected_ this technology," he said, examining almost lovingly the small singularity still floating in the palm of his hand.

Bok sighed with relief. "Good," he said. "For a minute I thought—"

"You know, Bok, this time, when we meet and I sell you the Singularity Net, I might do a few things differently. Sometimes you need two or three tries to get things right. It's just all part of the experiment."

Bok glanced at his former self. "I should leave then…before I get here, that is."

Mayer smiled his toothless grin again. "No matter, you can stay right where you are," he said. "I only need one version of you alive Bok. Don't look so surprised—of course you can be killed in one universe and still exist in another. Sometimes….Besides, this version of you knows far too much."

Mayer flicked his wrist forward almost casually, and the back orb shot straight through Bok's body, and then returned to Mayer's hand as though it were on a string.

Bok looked down and watched in horror as his body was sucked and swirled into the strange hole in his torso the singularity had produced. It was a bizarre way to expire—to be drawn into a black hole where your own belly button had once been. But before he could even cry out, it was all over.

* * *

 **2355 Maxia System**

At first Picard was fine; clear-headed and focused on his goal. He intended to destroy General Unh and his base. Would it stop Unh from using the Singularity Net in the first place? No… but if destroyed Unh's base, the Malkatans would not be able fuse the Net and Federation technology and then invade Federation space twelve years later in 2367, as Riker and Beverly explained had occurred.

It occurred to him that if he destroyed the Singularity Net, which he knew to be in orbit around the Malkatan moon instead, the result might be the same. Either way he considered the possibilities, he knew it was possible that his child with Beverly might not survive, but then again she might not survive if the Malkatans destroyed the Federation she was only just being born into.

His mind continued to race as he piloted the _Stargazer_ back to the source of his anguish and humiliation. Although in his world, he and Beverly had already conceived a child, it was only allowed to happen because he had been captured by the Malkatans in the first place. Time had already been changed when Beverly visited him that night. Time was changed again when Beverly and Riker returned to the past, and when he met Brom in person—the once anonymous Ferengi he had been "meant" to kill in this life.

Would he change time again to the extent that his child would disappear? If he died over the Malkatan moon, would another Picard live on in the future? Could there be more than one of him?

He was so focused on his troubles and all of the possibilities, that he didn't hear the perimeter warning beeping until it was too late.

The plasma blast came out of nowhere and suddenly the bridge of the Stargazer was on fire—again. His shields had been down. He raised the shields quickly and then shouting, he jumped up from the helm and rushed for the fire suppressant. "Dammit!" Zev had used it up putting out the fire during battle with Brom's ship. He tossed the empty container to the deck and then returned to the helm. He scanned the area, but could detect nothing. The heat from the fire made sweat roll down his forehead.

The ship shook again from another plasma burst. On the view screen he could see the green energy burst emanate seemingly from out of nowhere. "A cloaked ship," he murmured. A ship that could engage weapons while cloaked was nearly unbeatable in most situations, not that he'd ever been faced with such a situation until now, as such ships were incredibly rare. And under these circumstances, the odds were very poor.

"When you can fight, fight like hell, and when you can't fight…run," he announced to the empty bridge. He coughed as smoke began to crowd out the oxygen in his lungs. He quickly programmed the photon torpedoes to deploy in a scattered pattern and fired. He wasn't going to wait around to see if he'd hit his disguised attacker; instead, he engaged the warp engines and sped toward his destination.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

* * *

"Wesley, Wesley...it's time to get up. Come on, you're going to be late for school again." He could feel his mother shaking him by the shoulder. He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was annoyed and was about to reach the point when she would consider yelling. At that point, he knew she would successfully reason with herself, keeping her voice calm for a few moments more before completely flying off the handle. His mother was often late or on the verge of being late for work herself, and it irked her to no end that Wesley had inherited this same trait.

He knew this, and usually he was able to get up before she reached her patience limit, but for some reason, he was really having trouble getting out of bed this morning. He began to realize the main difficulty was that he had the worst headache he'd possibly ever had in his life. "Ugh, Mom," was all he managed to say, while trying to cover his face. But she had already walked away; apparently satisfied that he was awake now.

"Oh," she said turning back around, not seeming to realize his difficulties. "I almost forgot; remember I've installed a new security system. So don't forget the key, Wes."

* * *

 **Occupied Earth 2367**

Worf was back up on the bridge in less than ten minutes, and when he arrived he appeared noticeably relieved. But Picard wasn't looking at him, and instead was focused on the helm and new developments. "Enemy ships incoming," he announced in a voice much calmer than he felt. "Shields up," he snapped.

"Raising shields," said Worf.

"Have the weapons been properly modified, or is it too late to ask?" On Earth Picard and Worf had obtained one of the small spherical singularity weapons from a Malkatan sent to execute a group of survivors in San Francisco. Upon re-taking the Enterprise bridge Picard and Worf had found that another singularity device was being used to control Jellico's mind requiring him to report ship's status to the Malkatans on the surface of the planet. Similar mind-control devices were found on each of the other seven recovered ships.

"Yes, sir. The Malkatan weapon was incompatible with our phaser banks, however we were more successful in fusing our self-guided weapons with their technology. Each of our recovered ships now has one photon torpedo armed with a Malkatan singularity device."

"That will have to do," said Picard.

"Incoming communication, Captain."

"Put it through."

 _"_ _Picard, this is Jellico. We've got a problem—aside from the fleet of incoming enemy ships."_

"Go ahead."

 _"_ _Assuming we get through this armada alive, the Starfleet officers they've imprisoned down on that island in the South Pacific have some kind of electromagnetic shielding around them. If we fire from up here, we're likely to fry everyone. We need to get in for a closer look and take out the shielding from below the troposphere at least."_

"Agreed," said Picard.

 _"_ _That's not possible,"_ Captain Martens chimed in. " _Our ships weren't built to travel for a sustained amount of time in the atmosphere much less to do battle down there. We're too heavy and we've got no maneuverability like we've got up here in space."_

 _"_ _The Enterprise can do it,"_ Jellico objected. _"It's the only Galaxy class ship left, but all we need is one with separation capability."_

 _"_ _It's hardly ideal,"_ argued Martens. _"And very risky."_

"All we've _got_ now is various levels of risk," said Picard. "This plan is as good as any. Picard out." He switched to the ship wide intercom. "This is Captain Picard. Listen carefully civilian passengers. You are to follow Lt. Worf's directions without question and begin evacuation to the star drive section immediately. You will be far safer there. I am taking the saucer section down into the atmosphere."

"Captain," Worf growled. "You _must_ allow me to accompany you, sir."

"Worf, this is no time to argue. Who is going to ensure the safety of our makeshift crew of survivors if not you? No one else on board is trained to command the star drive section or the saucer aside from you and I. It's time we split up. But don't worry, if all goes well, we'll re-connect the ship soon enough."

"But sir—"

Picard finally turned halfway in his seat. "Worf I can operate weapons from the helm, and I am not going to leave these people without warp capability to escape—and the star drive has that. Now proceed with evacuation. We'll separate on my mark."

Worf glared for a moment more and then turned to leave, as the bridge "crew" hurried into the turbo lifts without hesitation. Picard was turning back to his station, when Mary entered the bridge, out of breath. "I just heard the order to evacuate," she said, hurrying down to the command center.

"And so you disobeyed my order and came to the bridge," he observed, busily re-routing weapons controls to the helm.

"You are damn right," she said, sitting down in the captain's chair and folding her arms over her ample chest. Picard said nothing but turned on the forward view screen. If she was going to insist on sitting on the bridge, popcorn or no, she might as well see it all play out on screen.

It was then that his panel it up. There were hundreds of ships approaching. The distinctive spinning wheel of the Malkatan ships should have sent a chill through him, but he was so highly focused now that he felt almost nothing. Almost.

Mary gasped as the view screen flooded with the massive wheel-like ships which were rolling through the upper atmosphere now. "Feel free to reconsider your decision to stay," muttered Picard, keeping his eyes on the helm controls.

"Not a chance," said Mary. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again, until this is all over, young man." She watched him as his body began to shift out of this world again. She was growing used to seeing it, and unfortunately he seemed almost accustomed to it now.

"You have to fight against that sensation, son," she said. "You've got to stay here in the present. You belong here with us."

"I don't know. I don't know where I belong anymore." Picard shut his eyes briefly and saw himself flying not above Earth, but another planet. He saw himself aiming the ship for a sharp descent toward the planet. No…Mary was right; he had to stay in the present. He began to hum a little tune from when he was a child.

"What are you singing, dear?" Mary asked.

He shrugged. "Just a song my Maman used to sing to me. 'Sur le pont d'Avignon, On y danse, on y danse, Sur le pont d'Avignon, On y danse tout en rond.' For some reason it makes me feel connected, when I am beginning to phase. It brings me back."

"Oh, good! I know that one too," she exclaimed. "'On the bridge of Avignon, they are dancing, they are dancing, On the bridge of Avignon, they are dancing all around'."

He laughed in surprise. "Yes, yes that's right." His smile left his face abruptly at the sound of the red alert, and the bridge was awash in red light. "Here they come."

* * *

 **The** ** _Aldrin_**

"Beverly, how are you feeling?" Deanna sat down next to Beverly's bedside. Beverly Crusher was now awake, but she stared at the far wall, as if searching for something or someone. As with Beverly's initial return from 2355, when she learned she was pregnant, her lips moved as though talking to someone only she could see. Troi had argued with Will for the chance to speak to her friend, to try to use her skills help her. Will had been so preoccupied with the trip back to Earth that he had given in easily. If Troi thought she could help, she should go ahead and try. The _Aldrin's_ CMO had been unhappy with the decision, but had now left the two women alone.

Deanna leaned in to try to catch Beverly's gaze. "Beverly?"

Finally her eyes shifted to Troi. "What is it, Deanna?"

Progress, perhaps. And yet, she hadn't asked about her baby for hours, which was troubling. "Beverly, I'm worried about you."

"Why?"

"Well…you've gone through so much. And you have been so quiet. I thought it might be good for you to talk about how you've been feeling."

Beverly suddenly laughed and grabbed Deanna's hand. "Nana, you always want to _talk_. I know I've been away at the Academy for too long, but you knew I'd come back to visit. I always do."

Deanna tried to keep her expression very even, despite her internal shock. "Yes, Beverly. You always come back."

"And I know you're worried about me, but Mom and Dad wouldn't be. They loved adventure, and you know I think that's why I've decided to become an explorer."

Deanna smiled. "An explorer. In space? How exciting."

"Well… a _physician_ explorer. If I had a ship that could travel to any star system, can you even imagine how many diseases I could cure; people I could help? Not to mention all of the strange people I'd meet. A hospital with warp drive! _Much_ more exciting than Caldos, Nana."

Troi shifted in her seat. "Beverly, I want you to focus on my voice for a moment. Does it sound familiar to you?"

Beverly clasped her hands over her stomach and frowned down at the bed sheet. "I don't know what you mean."

Deanna reached out to take her hand. "Beverly, look at me…it's me, Deanna."

Beverly's lip trembled and she grasped Troi's hand tightly. "Deanna, what's happening to me? One moment I'm here and the next, the next I'm somewhere else."

"It's the time travel, Beverly. It has made it difficult for you to stay in the present. But I'm going to help you."

Beverly nodded, but then her eyes closed and her face changed. When she opened them, it was like looking at a stranger once again. "Nana, I don't need your help. Everything between Jack and me is _fine_. It really is. I told you, I just want to spend some quality time here with you. And you've seen how much fun Wesley has had this week. It reminds me of what it was like growing up with you here." She laughed as though trying to lighten her own mood. "It's been far too long, I know."

"Oh, Beverly, you're laughing, but I can tell you are so sad."

"I could never tell him," she whispered, and her voice broke. "I never told Jack how my feelings changed. He died before I had the courage to be honest with him." She blinked. "Deanna…we can't waste the time we're given. I know that now."

* * *

 **The Planet Glanau 2366**

 _Don't forget the key, Wes._ Slowly his left eye opened, but all he could see was sand, which was hot against the left side of his face. He tried to open his right eye, but it was swollen shut, he realized, although it took him a moment more to recall why. "Bok," he whispered into the sand. The Ferengi had struck him on the opposite side of his head with a rock, and he'd fallen on his side. How could he have been so stupid as to think Bok had changed his ways? It didn't matter. The fact that he was still alive was the important thing. How long had he been out here? The sun was still as hot and bright as it had been when he'd first arrived in this desert, so if he was lucky, he hadn't been out of it too long.

The pain in Wesley's head was so pronounced when he sat up, that he immediately threw up. He felt around in his pocket for the hypo he'd used to knock out the two guards. It was still there and had some of the drug left in it. He wondered if he could just give himself just a little of the medicine to kill the pain enough to stand. Almost simultaneously as he heard the hiss, he knew it was working. Struggling to his feet, he shut his eyes again- the light was blinding. But some of the pain was now masked by the drug. He put the hypo back in his pocket and then checked his small pack. The small phaser was still there, to his relief, but the device needed to remotely manipulate the Pedestal of Time was missing. Bok must have stolen it. "Well," he said to himself, beginning to trudge slowly toward the bar in the distance, "Looks like I'm stuck on this rock until I can find another way home."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

 **2355 Orbiting the Malkatan Base**

Once in orbit around the Malkatan moon, Picard quickly targeted the Malkatan base. However, the influence of the Singularity Net almost immediately began to close like gentle fingers around his consciousness. He began to consider that he didn't really want to destroy the base at all. Revenge was meaningless. Why not use his remaining warp power to return to Earth and see Beverly? Even if she rejected him, he would have at least tried.

The problem was, reality set in again when he scanned the ship's damage readouts and was forced to conclude that his ship would not make the trip home. After being first stripped down by the Malkatans, and then enduring the drawn out battle with the Ferengi, the _Stargazer_ had since been limping through space. Then following the unprovoked surprise attack before the jump into warp, he knew he was lucky to have made it back to the moon with the ship intact.

But now it became clear just how damaged his ship was. His shields had been down when the cloaked ship had strafed the top of his ship and the bridge, as well as both the left and right top nacelle had been hit by the plasma burst. As a result some of the warp coils had taken on damage to the extent that they were now misaligned. Even if they were able to still create a warp field for faster than light travel, it wouldn't be sustainable. At worst the imbalance in the warp field could be catastrophic. Just one more possible way for him to die. What he needed most right now, he admitted to himself, was a capable engineering crew—even one capable engineer would have been something more than what he had. He was many things, but certainly not an engineer. He couldn't repair the ship in the way it needed repairing.

His greatest and perhaps only remaining advantage was that in this year 2355, the Malkatans on the moon below had weaponry and technology which was vastly inferior to the _Stargazer's_ , as beaten as it was. Increasingly he began to worry that even if he destroyed the Malkatan base as planned, the Singularity net would still exist. As long as it existed, Mayer would be able to simply give it to the next ignorant and brutal race and chaos would ensue again. Suddenly it became clear.

He would need to destroy not only the Malkatan base, but the Singularity Net as well. But how? An anti-matter dump might be enough to do it. That was it. He would eject the warp core into the singularity net detonating the core, and simultaneously he would set the _Stargazer_ on a collision course for the Malkatan base on the moon's surface. Meanwhile he would take the Galileo shuttlecraft—it had limited warp capability—and then he would get the hell out of there and out of the Maxia Zeta system forever. And then home to Earth; home to Beverly.

* * *

 **Glanua 2366**

Wesley continued his march toward the bar in the middle of the desert. He was close enough to see the blinking sign: "Galactic Oasis" when things began to change quickly. First, Wesley saw Bok emerge from the bar, carrying some kind of bundle under his arm. But he was wearing different clothes, and it occurred to Wes right away, that this was not the same Bok who had accompanied him from the Aldrin. No, this must have been the Bok from a year ago...and by all appearances he was leaving with the item he'd already obtained from Mayer.

Wesley hesitated, watching Bok walk toward a sleek silver vehicle hovering low to the ground. Another Ferengi jumped out of the vehicle and made a show of opening the door for Bok, who slid into the passenger's side. Wesley's eyes narrowed as he looked on. It was Kad-no doubt about it. And they were about to take off with the singularity net technology. Wesley was so focused on the two Ferengi that he almost didn't notice that a tall man with long blonde hair had also exited the Galactic Oasis and was walking swiftly toward him. Wesley immediately pulled out his phaser and pointed it at the man.

The man halted immediately and put his hands up. "Oh, what a clever boy you are," he said. "But it should be clear to even you that you are too late." He tilted his head gesturing behind him. "The Ferengi has already bought my singularity net and is departing for the space port now. No doubt he'll be up to no good, soon enough," Mayer assured him. "But you already know that…."

"Where's Bok?" Wesley demanded, shouting over the wind "I mean, the other Bok."

Mayer began to laugh. "He's dead of course. I didn't need him attempting to influence his former self, and so I made him disappear."

"Is that what you call murder-making people disappear?"

"Words mean nothing, only the acts one undertakes have meaning, young man."

"And your acts are evil," Wesley shouted, unable to keep his voice from trembling.

Mayer shrugged. "To you perhaps...but to me my actions are necessary to express my craft...my genius. What do you know of such things?"

"I know I'm going to do whatever I can to stop you," promised Wesley. "The Malkatans will destroy humanity with the technology you made available to them. Don't you care about that?" Looking past Mayer he could see several vehicles parked outside the bar. Presumably their owners were still inside. Wesley figured if he grabbed one of the hover bikes, he might still be able to catch Bok and Kad. But he had to get past Mayer.

"I do not care," said Mayer plainly. "I will do whatever I must to perfect this technology as it was meant to be used. Time and the people existing in it are merely the pieces of my continuing experiment. Introducing Bok into the equation, and his desire to see Picard humiliated set into motion a series of fascinating variables. And the opportunity to see Picard as a failure, just as he would have liked to have seen me… was an added pleasure. You are an intelligent boy. You should understand this."

Wesley kept his phaser trained on Mayer and began to step around him slowly, walking closer to the bar. "Captain Picard tried to arrest you for murdering your wife and son. He would have treated you fairly. You would have stood trial. But instead you escaped and just expanded your killing spree."

"Lies!"

"You say you are perfecting this technology, but did you ever stop to think it was never yours to use? You stole it!"

Mayer's expression darkened further. "I made it special—improved it. It was left there…abandoned in space when my shuttle encountered the anomaly you call the singularity net. I was mortally wounded and bleeding, because of your perfect Captain Picard," he spat. "But the singularity caught my ship and gradually it healed me. I should have died. But it kept me alive, boy, because it recognized my greatness. I am a master engineer…a genius."

"You're delusional," Wesley declared, now backing up slowly toward the bar.

Mayer broke into a slow smile. And that was when Wesley turned and sprinted as fast as he could toward the bar. Hopping on a hover bike, he was overjoyed to find it was not locked. Pressing the engine button it fired up quickly, and he sped off in the direction Bok had gone. He didn't look behind him to see if Mayer was following.

* * *

 ** _2367 The Aldrin_**

" _Why_ will no one tell me where the hell my son is?"

"We don't know where Wesley traveled to, Beverly. But we have to trust that he's alright," Deanna said as soothingly as possible.

Beverly looked at Troi as though her friend had lost her mind. "Trust?"

Deanna adopted a reasonable tone. "He's nearly an adult now. And he's more intelligent and level-headed than most young men his age."

"True," agreed Beverly allowing just the faintest of smiles. "But with him missing and Jean-Luc at such risk, that's not much consolation, Deanna."

Troi smiled and took a deep breath. "Aside from those things, which you are right are very distressing, you have had an extremely positive development recently. In fact it really doesn't get more positive than what you've just accomplished, Beverly."

Beverly looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "I…I was waiting for him to share this with me. I don't know why I haven't gone to see her," she said quietly. "I want to of course, more than anything…but I'm scared. For some reason, Deanna I am afraid to see my baby. Why?" she whispered, turning to face Troi. There was very clear anguish etched into her features.

"Because of the uncertainty of our collective situation, Beverly, as well as your own. You have the right to hesitate, after what you have been through. But just as you told me a few minutes ago…we cannot waste the time we have. You don't have to go alone; we'll do it together." She reached out her hand.

Beverly moved to the edge of the recovery bed and allowed Deanna to help her get to her feet. She felt stronger than she had expected, and the exhilaration of what she was about to do finally hit her. "Yes, let's go and see her together."

Troi had moved to embrace Beverly when her communicator beeped.

 _"_ _Riker to Troi…."_

Deanna sighed and hit her communicator. "Troi here."

" _Deanna tell Beverly…we'll arrive at Earth in fifteen minutes. Whatever you need to do, do it now and then find a safe place near the interior of the ship. We're going into battle."_

* * *

 **2355**

Picard quickly finished entering the warp core ejection program down in Engineering and the computer had already begun its countdown. He sprinted back to the turbo lift and took it straight up to the bridge. He would have ten minutes to set the _Stargazer's_ final flight coordinates and get back down to the shuttlecraft.

Once back on the bridge he rushed to the helm and began to input the collision course. His hands were steady and his mind was as clear as it could be, given the proximity of the ship to the Net.

There was no guarantee that his shuttlecraft would clear the vicinity before the core detonated inside the Singularity Net and the Stargazer crashed into the base below. It was an insane plan, so perhaps he should not have been surprised that the insanity would continue.

"Turn around, Picard," a quiet voice commanded him from the direction of tactical. "Turn around and face your executioner."

The tone was so familiar, so cold, that he felt little emotion at hearing the voice. Somehow he should have known who it would be. And so when he turned around he was not surprised to see Mayer standing, holding a small spinning singularity device in his palm.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

 **2367 On the** ** _USS Aldrin_** **Over Occupied Earth**

 _"_ _Attention crew, this is Captain Riker. We will be entering Earth orbit in approximately five minutes. The fighting above Earth is especially heavy, but remember that this is our home, and we will do what we must. It has been a pleasure serving with you all."_

Riker cut the intercom and glanced over at his second in command. "We are about to have our hands full here, Commander."

Obi nodded. "Yes sir, our tactical intelligence on the Malkatans puts their ships years beyond our own as far as weaponry goes."

"How can that be, when they simply used the _Stargazer's_ technology from twelve years ago? The _Stargazer_ wasn't state of the art even back then," said Riker.

He glanced up as Doctor Mayer strode onto the bridge and sat down next to Obi. She fixed Riker with a thin smile. Riker's return gaze was like a laser, but Obi was still speaking.

"Yes sir, but it's the Singularity technology Bok sold them that has so increased their development since 2355. The good news is we still know how to operate our own technology better than they do."

"That's not good news, commander, that's wishful thinking," Riker replied, not taking his gaze from Doctor Mayer. "Now, kindly explain what the hell she is doing out of the brig and on my bridge?"

Obi cleared his throat. "Doctor Mayer was instrumental in working with Data and LaForge to re-wire and re-program CASU into an advanced weapon, Captain. She also gave us great insight into her father's motivations, helping us to formulate a plan to find him."

"And you're saying she couldn't have done any of that from the brig?"

"A plan which went out the window when young Mr. Crusher took it upon himself to play the hero," Doctor Mayer offered.

Riker leaned over to her incensed. "If you say another word about Wesley, trust me, you will be back in the brig in no time." But she was right about Wesley, and so he added, "Thank you for your service."

Beside him, Commander Obi smiled.

* * *

 **2355 Maxia**

"Mayer, you… you are responsible for all of this...everything," said Picard as he stood up from the helm.

Mayer laughed. He pointed at the right side of his face. "You allowed your lap dog Vigo to shoot my ear off, Captain. There was a time when I would have thought your reputation as a reasonable man would have resulted in more humane behavior. I had to learn the truth the hard way."

"You are accusing me of being _inhumane_? When you have just ensured that millions of human beings and other innocent cultures will be murdered twelve years from now. Not _least_ of all my crew, down on the moon below," he shouted pointing at the deck.

"And yet Vigo still lives, I would guess," said Mayer mildly, ignoring the accusation.

"Only physically," said Picard. "Vigo will never recover from this experience. But don't try and convince me this is all about revenge against me and Vigo _Lieutenant_ ," he said emphasizing Mayer's rank. " _You_ shall return with me to Earth to face prosecution."

 _"_ _Five minutes until warp core ejection_ ," said the computer.

Mayer looked around the bridge with mild curiosity, as though intrigued by the unfamiliarity of what should have been familiar to him. He studiously ignored Picard. Closing the odd spinning singularity in his fist he placed his hands behind his back, and then walked around the bridge. Eventually he halted and faced the Captain. "I stopped taking orders from you Picard—and more importantly—I stopped _fearing_ you the day you caused me to flee your ship. That is the day I became free."

"You have conveniently erased from your own memory your responsibility in all of this, Mayer. No one made you kill your wife and son, and no one forced you to harm your own daughter—"

"No one ever asked me _my_ side of it!" Mayer shouted, abruptly releasing violent emotions, and slamming his palm into his chest. Just as quickly he returned to his unnaturally serene demeanor.

"Now listen here…I don't care how you feel about it, and I certainly do not care to hear _your_ side of the story," Picard said with quiet anger. "But you _will_ return to Earth." Picard pulled his phaser then, pointing it at the intruder.

Mayer smiled now that his eerie calm had returned. "Will I? Everyone wants to blame me for this, Captain," Mayer said, stepping down from tactical. "You...and even young Wesley Crusher."

 _Wesley?_ Picard grabbed the back of his chair to steady himself, still pointing the phaser. "What?"

"Oh… are you surprised? That little boy you knew once is now a teenager. Although I highly doubt he will live to see eighteen years of age. Not if he continues to try and thwart my progress."

Picard's confusion quickly turned to rage which bubbled up and spilled over, as he allowed the pull of the Singularity Net take him under. "Mayer, your quarrel is with me, not the boy. Leave him be!"

Mayer smiled again and reactivated the singularity weapon in his hand. It hummed as he held it up for Picard to see. "You show no fear of this device—but you will. You see it can only be controlled by those who both fear and understand its power, Picard."

"And you control it," said Picard. "Or at least you are under the illusion that you do." He glanced at the view screen. The ship had begun its descent and he only had minutes to get to the shuttle. Was it worth it to stun Mayer and drag him along to the shuttle and back to Earth?

"Oh, it is no illusion, Picard. I alone am capable of wielding this technology! And I intend to impress upon you the full impact of its power."

"You're insane," Picard declared.

Mayer laughed with perverse delight. "When I first encountered the Singularity Net in my shuttle, I was mortally wounded, Picard…having escaped your twisted notion of justice…. The singularity itself was surrounded by a fog of radiation." He smiled. "The radiation made me weak as a baby—too weak to care for the wounds your crew had inflicted upon me. First my hair fell out…then my teeth. I believed I was as good as dead." He held out the singularity device. "Sometimes I wonder if I did die, Picard. My memory of that time is very murky. But most importantly I came back, stronger than ever."

Picard walked closer. "If you think that I am afraid of you and that deadly toy of yours you are mistaken, Mayer. I have already been subjected to the most heinous forms of torture and humiliation, and all because of you."

"And now what? You intend to bring me back to Earth?" He held out the singularity device which was spinning more quickly now. "But how do you intend to do that when you have set your ship to crash into the Malkatan base below?"

* * *

Picard stared at him speechless, as the ship's computer continued its countdown in the background.

Mayer began to laugh. "You are wondering how I can possibly know what you've planned, Picard? The answer is this wondrous thing," he held out the spinning device in his palm. "With this device I can be at any place and time—sometimes all at once. Yes, I have seen your future, Picard. And you will be interested to know that your plan worked. Your warp core detonated within the Singularity Net just after the _Stargazer_ destroyed itself and the Malkatan base. But I am here to prevent that future and create a new one, Picard. One where you fail…and then die."

Picard's eyes narrowed. "Even if that is so, I have a…belief that I will go on living in another time and place. But you on the other hand, will not." He fired the phaser, but Mayer was lightning quick and held up the singularity globe and the beam of energy disappeared inside it. A moment later, it re-emerged and shot directly at Picard. He dove out of the way and rolled to the deck, firing again, but Mayer again re-directed the phaser fire back at him.

He crouched behind the helm. Behind him he knew the planet below was fast approaching on the view screen, and the deck shifted violently. His ship was not meant for sharp descent into a planet's atmosphere. Thankfully, the moon had little to speak of, but he had planned to escape his ship before it crashed into the base. Now his prospects were growing bleaker by the minute.

* * *

 _"_ _Three minutes until warp core ejection,"_ the computer reported as if reading his mind.

Picard wiped angrily at the sweat that ran into his eyes and he leaned out to glance at Mayer, before returning to his cover. But Mayer was gone. Alarmed, he stood up, holding his phaser uselessly at his side.

 _"_ _Warp core ejection procedure aborted,"_ announced the computer suddenly.

"What?!"

" _Danger…anti-matter containment has been fatally compromised. The warp core must be ejected, or the ship will be destroyed."_

Mayer re-appeared then. "Hello again, Picard."

"What have you done?"

"You heard the ship's computer, Captain. I have aborted the ejection of the warp core, at the same time creating a coolant leak. Matter-anti-matter containment will soon fail. You will have your wish and this ship will be destroyed within minutes; just not in the way you envisioned. Sometimes in this experiment we call life, it takes many attempts to reach perfection."

Picard ran at him and knocked him to the deck. He grabbed Mayer around his neck and attempted to choke him into unconsciousness.

Mayer's mouth opened in a soundless laugh, and then he was gone again. Picard felt an almost immediate blow on the back of his neck. Somehow he retained consciousness and crawled forward, but his vision remained cloudy.

 _"_ _Radiation levels are now critical. Immediate evacuation is required,"_ said the computer.

Picard continued his slow crawl away, feeling the trickle of blood from the back of his head. Mayer must have kicked him. The ship lurched violently again and the deck shook violently. The deck was now almost vertical.

" _Attention,"_ droned the computer. " _Due to rapid acceleration and gravitational disturbances on the moon below, inertial dampers have failed. The ship's current course and speed must be corrected."_

He slid uncontrollably until his arm caught on the base of the ops station. Still flat on the deck, he blinked, trying to focus as Mayer continued to approach him. His eye caught on something around the man's ankle then. It was familiar somehow.

 _"_ _The ship's atmospheric regulators are now saturated with radiation,"_ said the computer helpfully.

Picard pulled himself to a sitting position, realizing then that he'd lost his phaser. The radiation sickness was beginning to overwhelm him. But then as he stared at Mayer's lower leg a sensation of sudden and complete awareness overcame his debilitating condition. He knew what it was. It was the item Beverly had given him on the Malkatan base; the same item he and Zev and Vigo had used to nullify the effects of the singularity net in order to effectuate the _Stargazer's_ escape from orbit around the moon. The neutralizer. Despite his dire situation; despite everything, he began to laugh.

* * *

 **The Planet Glanau 2366**

Wesley grabbed the pair of dusty goggles swinging from the handle bars of the stolen hover bike and slapped them over his head as best he could with one arm, as he steered the careening bike with the other. His mother would kill him if she saw him right now ...but then the thought of his mother alone in a hospital bed caused him to throttle the bike forward. He could see Bok's silver car coming into view up ahead. He grinned, elated that he was actually catching up to the Ferengi and was rewarded by a mouthful of sand and wind.

For the first time he allowed himself to turn around and look backward. He was satisfied to see Mayer's shadowy figure standing far behind in the dust. But as he turned his attention forward again, he nearly crashed the bike, and had to struggle to recover. Mayer was also in front of him on another speeding vehicle, and he was headed not away from Wesley, but instead was hurtling toward the teen on a collision course.

Wesley shouted and tried to swerve out of the way, but Mayer copied his movements. Unable to avoid Mayer's oncoming attack he threw himself off the bike, and hit the rocky soil hard, rolling in the dust. Something propelled him upward and he pulled his phaser, firing wildly in the direction of where Mayer's vehicle had been, but Mayer was no longer there. He watched stunned as the bike he'd been on crashed into the dirt just meters ahead.

"Looking for me?"

Wesley spun around to find Mayer towering over him holding the small singularity device in one hand. With the other he punched Wesley in the throat. Wes staggered back, choking, but brought the phaser up to fire again-but again Mayer had disappeared. The next blow came from the side, as Mayer struck him in the same temple Bok had. Wesley cried out in pain and dropped the phase, falling to one knee.

"I'm curious, young man...why did you follow me into the past?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Wesley choked, trying to steady his dizziness and buy himself some time. "I'm trying to stop you from killing everybody!"

Mayer knelt down beside him. "Usually a worthy goal! However...did you ever stop to consider that some things just aren't worth saving?"

Wesley glared at Mayer whose almost gentle tone contrasted with his disturbed sentiments.

"This is all a joke to you, isn't it?"

"On the contrary, young man. It is very serious-my life's work in fact. Do you realize that by harnessing this great power, a man can do anything he wishes?"

Wesley stared at the spinning ball in the crouching Mayer's hand, and then for some reason his gaze dropped to Mayer's ankle. There was some kind of metallic device fused around the lower part of the man's leg.

"You're wondering, young man how to take this power from me, are you not?"

"It's not yours, Mayer. You stole it-" He struggled to focus his vision and mind. Something about the item around Mayer's ankle was so familiar to him. His mind spun and threatened to completely leave him. But then he realized. It was the neutralizer. _The key._

* * *

 ** _The Aldrin_**

Beverly moved a tiny shock of red hair away from the baby's forehead. She leaned against Troi, suddenly overcome with emotion. "My baby," she whispered.

"Yes," said Troi. "Now let's get her to safety." Just as she said that the ship shuddered. They were under attack.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

 **2367 The Battle over Occupied Earth**

He'd been General Unh for almost an eternity it seemed. But now he was the ruler of this newly subjugated planet, and so such an immense promotion required even grander title. The Malkatan leader had been staring out into space where his fleet was making quick work of the remains of Starfleet. A new ship had arrived in the sector minutes ago, but it would not be long until that ship was destroyed along with the others. It was almost too easy. And yet there was something he still needed to know. "Grand Chancellor Unh," his subordinate said gruffly stepping up onto the deck next to Unh's plush command chair.

"Report, General Razul," Unh said lazily turning his face upward to the ambitious officer at his side. Of course his own promotion had effectuated the promotion of Razul as well. This was how these things worked.

"My Lord," said Razul. "The transmission is scrambled, but we were able to listen in…as you commanded." General Razul, was baffled as to why he had been ordered to infiltrate the communications transmission of a clearly inferior opponent. The ship they had just strafed, once known as the USS Enterprise, was hardly such a threat now as to require surveillance. But as he was to learn in a moment, it was not so much that Unh desired to know what was being said on board the Enterprise, but _who_ was speaking.

Razul played the looped conversation. Several humans were speaking…quickly, indicating their fear and concern. Razul watched Unh carefully. "You wanted just a sample, Grand Chancellor?"

Unh's unattractive forehead creased, making him just that more unpleasant to observe. "Yes…that is enough. Picard is still alive." He tightened his fat blue fists on the arms of his chair. "Do not allow that ship to escape us."

* * *

 _"_ _The technicians report that a plasma injector connected to the starboard nacelle has exploded, Captain. As a result, decks 22 to 24 are now reporting plasma fires, sir,"_ Worf reported in from the battle bridge.

The ship shook again. The shields had at first appeared to be holding, but just minutes ago they'd sustained a direct hit from the lead Malkatan ship, and since then, fires had been cropping up at various points on the secondary hull.

"The Malkatans' plasma beams have some kind of adhesive property," Picard responded, maneuvering the ship from his position at the helm on the _Enterprise_ main bridge. Behind him in his old command chair sat Mary. She had said very little over the last few minutes which was unusual for her. Picard however, welcomed the relative silence, which aided his concentration.

 _"_ _Acknowledged, Captain. There is a slow penetration of the outer shields, we were not able to identify earlier, Captain. Once the Malkatan beams pierce the outer shield, they have successfully pierced our hull_."

"We'll try modulating the shield strength, when they come around for the next pass. Just ensure that the fires are contained. You can't afford to lose warp capacity if the fire spreads to Engineering," Picard snapped.

 _"_ _Picard, how is my ship holding up?"_ Jellico's belligerent voice interrupted over the comm unit.

Picard didn't bother anymore to correct Jellico as to who exactly the _Enterprise_ belonged to. "As you have no doubt noticed, Captain, the Malkatans have weaponry that is able to somehow anticipate our ship's shield frequency patterns and in some cases reach the hull even with the shields at full."

 _"_ _Yes. So you've taken damage as well, then,"_ said Jellico.

"Are you keeping score, Jellico?" Picard slapped his palm on the console, switching off the channel.

"Commander Worf," he barked.

 _"_ _Commander…sir?"_

"Worf, it's just us two officers now, isn't it? I am promoting you to the rank of commander, as it is my right to confer upon you on the field of battle."

 _"_ _I am honored, sir."_

Picard smiled slightly. "Yes, well the commendations will be coming much less frequently in the near future, I imagine."

 _"_ _It is a good day to die, Captain."_

"If only I could share your sentiments, Mr. Worf, it might make this a bit easier." He took a deep breath. "On my mark, you are to initiate separation procedures. No doubt, the Malkatans will be attracted to our little show. Once clear of the saucer, deploy the hybrid torpedo weapon at the lead ship to create a distraction."

 _"_ _And you, sir? Do you still intend on attacking the base below?"_

"To release the captured Starfleet officers, yes. That is the plan…such as it is," Picard admitted.

* * *

Deanna Troi was forced to resort to her old training over and over in order to maintain a calm state of mind, as she raced through the corridors of the _USS Aldrin_ , searching for a safer location. Will had instructed them to get to the interior of the ship, but she knew he couldn't guarantee any place on board was safe. Not now. The ship shuddered, and they hadn't even entered the worst of it yet.

The thought that there may not have been any place "safer" was now beginning to occur to her. Despite the crew diligently going about their duties as normally as possible, the sense of fear and confusion on board the _Aldrin_ was pervasive. Yet it was very possible that the person most afraid and confused was her beloved friend who clutched Deanna's hand with one hand, while holding her baby in her other arm.

* * *

 **The _Stargazer_**

Picard wrapped the crook of his elbow over the helm station and dragged himself up to his knees. Mayer stood watching him with growing disinterest. Mayer had just pronounced not only Picard's failures, but also his impending death. He felt as though the radiation from the leaking warp core was cooking his brain and his body was on fire.

Battling the nausea that threatened to overcome his senses, he struggled to brace himself over the helm. He thought of Beverly; the Beverly who had saved him in this universe and then disappeared in the future, as well as the Beverly back on Earth, whom he would never see again.

Mayer was correct. He would die over the Malkatan moon and there was no way out of it. And still…he could try and make his death count for something. He knew he would only have seconds before Mayer realized what was happening and stopped him. He tried to keep his focus on Mayer's face as he tried to remember the coordinates of the singularity net.

Mayer's dark expression showed a renewed and probably dangerous interest in Picard's activities. "What are you planning, Picard?" he asked slowly.

If Mayer realized his intentions, Picard knew he wouldn't have a chance. As slow as it was, his mind still worked. But he simply could not be certain that the ideas he was now entertaining were achievable. But one thing was certain; the concepts his fevered mind were generating were the farthest thing from being sane.

The neutralizer fastened around Mayer's ankle was likely the only thing that kept the scientist from being overwhelmed by the singularity technology he had been using to traverse time. Mayer didn't fear death on board this ship because the neutralizer kept him in control of the singularity technology. He could simply leave at any time, while Picard would be stranded and left to die in any number of horrible ways. The neutralizer also must have been shielding Mayer from the radiation poisoning caused by the coolant leak. Without the neutralizer, Mayer would be the same as him; vulnerable and very soon...dead. Picard chuckled to himself, but it came out as an unintelligible rasp. In a radiation filled haze, everything was somehow becoming clear. All he needed now was to destroy the singularity net and Mayer along with it. His original plan of revenge against the Malkatans was now he had to admit, nearly impossible.

 _Collision with the planetoid below in one minute twenty-nine seconds, the computer reported. Warp core containment failure in forty-five seconds._

Mayer howled with laughter. "Take your pick, Picard," shouted Mayer. "Either way you are dead!"

Picard crouched leaning against the console. The deck groaned, protesting the steep descent. He tapped in a code, and then the coordinates of the Singularity Net. "Voice confirmation, Picard alpha one," he rasped.

 _Voiceprint acknowledged, Captain._

"Commence auto destruct sequence, computer. Twenty second countdown." Twenty seconds would be long enough, but not too long.

 _Auto-destruct sequence activated. Twenty...nineteen...eighteen..._

"What are you doing, Picard?" Mayer's eyes widened and he took a halting step backwards, and that was when Picard leapt upon him, knocking the singularity orb from his hand. Once down on the ground, Mayer kicked upward. Picard caught the man's leg, and wrapped his fingers around the neutralizer, twisting with all his might. There was a sickening crack, as the neutralizer which had somehow been seemingly fused to Mayer's ankle, came free. Mayer howled in agony, and Picard scrambled backwards, the neutralizer now in his hand.

Mayer instinctively grasped for the singularity orb which had rolled away from him on the deck, but it eluded him. He finally grabbed it, screamed again and rushed toward Picard, who was still leaning against the conn.

 _...nine...eight..._

Picard slammed his hand onto the controls and the ship went into immediate warp, seeming to start and stop instantly. They were inside the Net now. He watched as the singularity orb in Mayer's fist, began to swallow the scientist alive. Mayer continued his rampage toward Picard even as his body continued to disintegrate into nothingness. "Picard!"

 _...four...three..._

Picard shut his eyes, and put his head down on the console. _Goodbye Beverly._


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

* * *

 ** _Stargazer...to Enterprise_**

 _Auto-destruct sequence initiated._ Bright light, intense heat, nothingness. _Auto-destruct sequence initiated._ Bright light, intense heat, nothingness. On repeat. How many times, he went through this, he was unable to tell, but during that instant repeated over and over, he never even had time to scream before his ship was destroyed. But which ship? Then gradually the bright white light faded to grey, and two voices could be heard. One impossibly calm; the other was agitated, possibly even angry.

 _Saucer separation sequence completed..._ Was he even solid matter anymore? He only heard the calm voice dimly as he emerged from the bizarre loop in which he had been traveling. Then the second voice became clearer. "Wake up!" The second voice yelled in his ear. If someone could yell into his ear, then it followed that he still possessed a body. And if he could hear that unpleasant person yelling into his ear, it then it also meant that he was alive.

No more intense heat or white light. "...do you hear me, son? Don't leave me now or I will never forgive you!"

Someone was shaking him roughly, and he felt the back of his head thudding against carpet . _Red Alert...Red Alert..._ repeated the calm voice.

"Hey..." was all he was able to murmur in protest as the shaking continued. "Let me sleep," he murmured. "So tired." And then he felt the slap. Yes a slap; one of the most insulting and alarming things to do to a person. Still he did not feel outraged.

 _Shields are at 69 percent_ , said the first voice. Ever calm, ever patient. He realized he had something of an affection for that first voice. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids seemed fused shut. _Shields are at 60 percent._ _The ship is under attack. Evasive action is recommended._

 _"Worf to Captain Picard."_

For some reason, at that moment, Picard's eyes snapped open. He blinked a few times into the face of the elderly woman who had been shaking him. "Mary?" He squinted as her features became clearer." That's right!" She suddenly grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, when it appeared she had no intention of stopping.

"I had a feeling that would get you up and moving," she said, getting up from her crouching position. "You aren't much for affection are you?"

He sat up rubbing his head. "What happened?" Suddenly the ship shook violently. Mary staggered, grabbing the back of his chair. He grabbed her hand and guided her into the chair next to him at ops.

"What happened is that you left me again, Jean-Luc. Several times in fact. You're not with us in this world anymore are you? Not fully at least."

"I don't know who...where or when I am, anymore," he said honestly. He turned his bead to look at the old woman. Quite possibly the last person he would see alive. "And it scares the hell out of me, Mary. It really does."

 _"Worf to Captain Picard. The lead Malkatan ship is returning, and appears to be targeting the Enterprise._

"Fire the...fire the hybrid weapon," Picard managed to get out.

 _"Already done, Captain. The weapon destroyed one of the enemy ships."_

"Ugh...that's hardly a dent. There are hundreds more of those ships." Picard pulled himself up and into the seat at the helm. His hands were unsteady and his vision was still hazy.

He gasped and slammed his head back into the headrest as another disorienting wave washed over him. A tall man with a missing ear and a mocking sneer was rushing for him. Someone from his past. But then the white light and unbearable heat engulfed him and it was over. His eyes snapped open and there was the field of firing ships yet again. Tears escaped his eyes before he could clench them shut again.

The ship shook again under another volley of fire and he tried his best to maneuver the ship out of harm's way. He fired the phasers in short bursts. The lead Malkatan ship was determined to stay with him. He put on a burst of speed, but the enemy ship stayed on his trail.

"What can I do to help?" Mary asked him from ops.

He blinked tears out of his eyes as he struggled to pilot the ship. "The inertial dampers..."

"The inertial whats?"

"I may have trouble piloting the ship once we're in the Earth's atmosphere...do you see a gold icon on the panel in the top right hand corner?"

"Yes," she said, not sounding completely sure. He wiped at his bleary eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. "Good. That control keeps the ship stable when we are decelerating or accelerating. Mary, you've got to ensure that it remains gold in color. If it...if it turns red for more than just a few seconds, we'll know it already because the whole ship will be breaking apart from the strain."

"What do I do?"

"Just place your palm to the left of it, if you see the icon flicker. Now hold on tight," he continued as the blue and white of Earth loomed below. He adjusted the controls readying for a steep descent. "Here we go."

* * *

 ** _The Aldrin_**

Geordi LaForge rapped his knuckles on CASU's metallic shoulder. "You ready, buddy?" The robot lay inside the photon torpedo launch tube, perfectly still.

"My altered weaponry and proto thrusters are optimal," the robot replied simply.

Geordi nodded and stood up, glancing over at Data. "Do you think CASU's aware, Data?"

"Do you mean, is CASU aware of its own mortality, Geordi?" Data tapped at the torpedo bay launch control panel.

Geordi shrugged. "Something like that," he said solemnly.

"The simplest answer is yes," Data said, looking at his friend squarely.

"Huh," Geordi said walking away from the robot and standing clear of the launch area. "I can definitely relate."

* * *

Deanna and Beverly reached the holodeck together and stepped inside. For a moment or two they stood together on the gold and black grid in silence. _What are we doing here?_ Deanna asked herself. They were in the middle of a battle that they would likely perish in, and she was attempting to deceive her best friend into believing there was somewhere safe left to go. If Beverly had been well...if she hadn't been shifting through time...and if she hadn't had her newborn baby with her, she would have fought-they both would have. Deanna might even want to spend her last hours with Will. But things were so very different now. Eventually Deanna forced a laugh, breaking the silence. "You know, this just won't do. Let's program something nice Beverly; something that will make us both feel better."

Beverly fixed Troi with a vacant stare. "Feel better...I don't think that's going to happen, Deanna," she said quietly. "Although I appreciate the effort." The baby was beginning to wake up and started to cry. Beverly glanced around her. "She's hungry and I need to feed her...I need a place to sit down."

"Computer," said Deanna. "Please give us a rocking chair...twentieth century, North American."

A chair appeared and Beverly sat down carefully with the baby in her arms, talking to her gently. Deanna watched them for a moment, smiling at a brief moment of peace. She _hasn't settled on a name yet. She's waiting for the Captain._ "Initiate program Betazed paradise one."

 _I am unfamiliar with the requested program. Please create a new program, or choose another._

Deanna' s brow wrinkled with annoyance. She supposed that it _was_ an old program from her previous life on board the _Enterprise._..now long gone. Suddenly she felt overwhelmed with emotion, frozen by the events that had gotten so out of control. Still Deanna' s voice steadied when she looked at Beverly gently trying to placate her little baby. "Computer replicate the foothills of the Zhani mountains in southern Betazed...late spring, afternoon."

Instantly their surroundings were flooded with sunshine and despite the circumstances, Deanna felt almost elated to be there. Soft purple and green grasses stretched all around them over the low hills, and a warm, sweet breeze tickled Deanna' s nose. She could nearly smell the ocean in the distance. "Let's have some soft chairs, computer. And a blanket and some food."

Immediately the items she had requested appeared. She and Beverly sat down. She glanced over at Beverly who was now nursing her baby. She looked down at the child, but her expression remained distant. Presently Beverly said "she has a good appetite," and then fell silent again.

Feeling very helpless, Deanna leaned forward clasping her hands between her knees. "Beverly what else can I do...I want to make you feel comfortable."

Beverly looked up sharply. "Comfortable? You mean before the Malkatans murder us?"

Deanna blinked. Beverly sounded much clearer than she had before. Clearer...but her anger was almost overwhelming to Troi. She was in this world for now at least. Perhaps her baby was keeping her focused on the present. "Beverly we don't know that..."

"We know they have superior weaponry and that they've already slaughtered millions of us, Deanna. What other evidence do you need? The war against the Malkatans is over already Deanna-and we've lost our home. We've lost Earth, don't you see?"

"But we still have to think positively," Troi insisted, hardly believing she had just uttered such silly words. "It's not going to make you feel any better to worry so much."

Beverly didn't look up, but her response was hard. "Do you know what would make me feel better, Deanna? To see my _son..._ to know that Jean-Luc is safe and not in pain somewhere...in _any_ time. Even if I never see him again, and even if he never gets to hear me say that I love him, I want to know that he's alright. That's all." She leaned back in the chair and stroked the baby's single curl of red hair. "I want to see my son," she said in a softer voice, almost to herself. Suddenly she looked up. "Computer...generate a holodeck image of Wesley Crusher."

Deanna wasn't certain whether seeing an image of her son would help Beverly or not, but either way, she had no intention of trying to dissuade her friend. Outside in the corridor, she thought she heard an explosion. Instead of panicking, she absently ate from a bunch of grapes and watched as Beverly negotiated with the computer.

 _I have a number of images stored. Please specify,_ the computer was saying. Beverly hesitated. "I'd like to see him in his Academy uniform-no when he came on board the Enterprise several years ago...he was so excited and happy then."

A smiling hologram of Wesley appeared, standing next to them. Beverly took in a halting breath. She knew it wasn't him but she allowed herself to be fooled for a moment. Reaching up to take his hand, he willingly came to sit down beside her.

"Hi Mom," said the hologram, still holding her hand. The hologram's expression remained unchanged as a rolling series of now unmistakable explosions rumbled underneath the deck.

* * *

 **The Planet Glanau 2366**

Now Wesley knew, he had to get the neutralizer. How he would use it once he stole it from the insane scientist he wasn't certain. But the neutralizer was the key. It had proven under several circumstances before to lessen the effect of the singularity. And its presence explained Mayer's unique ability to control the singularity technology, making all those in his path suffer. Without the neutralizer, Mayer would no longer be able to pervert time in order to carry out his own twisted experiments.

Still coughing and choking from the swirling dust, Wesley lunged desperately for Mayer' s ankle, grabbing for the neutralizer band. His fingers just grazed it, but Mayer jumped back quickly and then brought his other boot down onto Wesley's wrist. The snapping sound nauseated him and the pain was excruciating. Laughing, Mayer backpeddled in the sand. Wesley pushed himself up and then staggered up to his feet, cradling his fractured wrist. Then amazingly Mayer appeared to flicker in front of Wesley's eyes; stopped dead in his tracks, and then inexplicably fell onto the dusty ground, writhing. "Picard!" he screamed, and then disappeared.

* * *

Wesley let his face drop into the dirt out of sheer exhaustion. He rolled onto his back. was Mayer dead? Had the Captain defeated him in another time? Suddenly he became aware that someone was there and he opened his eyes.

"Hello, Wesley," the Traveler smiled placidly down at him.

"Huh?" Wesley propped himself up on his elbows, as the Traveler crouched down next to him. "I thought you were...I thought you had been captured."

"I was," admitted the Traveler. "But now my Jailor has become aware that the key to solving his problem is on this planet, and he set me free. Perhaps he believes that I still may be of some use to him."

"I don't get it," Wesley said. "Is Mayer dead?"

"That is not likely. Mayer is still in control."

"If he's alive then where did he go? And why was he calling out for Captain Picard?"

"Something remarkable has happened Wesley, that has again changed history, and will soon change the present and future."

Wesley's voice dropped to a whisper. "Something happened to the Captain?"

"Captain Picard sacrificed his life in 2355 to try and stop Mayer. He either destroyed or damaged the Singularity Net by destroying his ship within it."

Wesley's whole body grew instantly numb. "The captain is dead?"

"I am afraid so."

"But will that...will that kill him now? I mean in 2367? He and my Mom...they're having a baby. What is going to happen to the Captain of the present?"

The Traveler was solemn. "I am afraid there may be nothing that can be done to save the Captain of 2367 Wesley. Not now that the Picard of 2355 has been lost."

Wesley hugged his broken wrist close to his body. "I refuse to believe that! I have to help him. Help send me back into time. I know I can fix this."

The Traveler's expression was sad. "I am a Traveler, Wesley...but you are a Shaper. Only you can put the pieces back the way they were meant to be. But I do not believe that the solution you seek lies in the distant past."

"But with the Singularity Net gone...how will that effect the Malkatans? They won't have eleven years to develop their lethal weapons now."

The Traveler smiled. "That is correct. And yet they were still exposed to the technology before Picard ensured they would never see it again. The effects of Captain Picard's actions still remain to be seen."

"But all Mayer has to do is go back in time again and make sure some other cruel race has access to the Singularity technology he developed."

"I believe in you Wesley. I believe you will find a way. When you are ready, I will return and help you in your final journey."

"Wait!" Wesley shouted as the Traveler shimmered and then disappeared. Wesley kicked at the ground angrily. "Goddamn it! Now what am I supposed to do?"

* * *

 **Hey, thanks for continuing to follow this story. The end is near...**


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

* * *

Wesley bent low, hugging his wrist to his abdomen protectively. He was furious that the Traveler had again left him alone to figure out what continued to seem indecipherable...unsolvable. The harsh wind whistled past his face and lodged in his hair eyes, nose and mouth. He wrapped his thin jacket around his head in a makeshift hat. Wes glanced backward at the Galactic Oasis which now sat far away in the distance. He'd used the hover bike to get out this far before Mayer had ambushed him again. The bike now lay not too far away from him on the ground.

Walking over to it, he took a cursory look at it, and decided it was repairable. He knew he could go inside the bar out of the howling wind and sand, but what was the point? He could also work on the bike so that he would have some kind of advantage if Mayer returned, now that he was injured. Either way, the sun was setting. And either way, Mayer would be back for him. Or would he? It suddenly occurred to him that in the scheme of things, he was probably inconsequential to Mayer. Gritting his teeth Wesley sat down cross-legged on the side of a small sand dune and began working on the bike with his good hand.

* * *

Captain William T. Riker stared with rapt attention at the forward view screen just minutes after the _Aldrin's_ CASU unit was unleashed on the Malkatan fleet. CASU maneuvered almost like a small fighting ship, evading the enemy and then attacking with precision. "Well I'll be damned," Riker said under his breath, as he watched the spectacle.

He turned and walked back to the command center. "Congratulations, Doctor," he said to Dr. Mayer who along with the rest of the crew had been watching her creation bring destruction to the Malkatans. "Your plan to use the neutralizer technology worked. CASU's bought us a few minutes of relief at least."

"I couldn't have done it without Geordi and Data," she said, but she also looked, he noted almost like a proud parent. For someone who had once said she held no emotional attachment to her robotic creation, this appeared to be a turning point.

"Captain, the CASU unit has destroyed seven of the Malkatan vessels," reported Kashirin from tactical.

"Yes, I saw that, Lieutenant."

"But sir, now it's just hanging there."

Obi frowned, walking forward. "On screen and magnify."

"What the hell?" Riker turned to look at Doctor Mayer. "What's happening, Doctor. Why is CASU just hanging there?"

Mayer shook her head. "I don't know. If I can establish a link with CASU from the launch bay controls, it may help to find out what the problem is."

"Data," Riker said hitting his communicator. "Doctor Mayer is about to join you down in the torpedo launch bay. There seems to be a problem with the CASU unit."

" _Noted, Captain. CASU'S communications link appears to have been damaged during battle. Without communication, it is not possible to know why CASU is now inert."_

"Isn't CASU at risk of being destroyed, just floating in one place?" Obi questioned Johanna Mayer.

"Its shields are still intact," she said, pointing at the view screen. "See? All I need to do is to establish the link." She moved to walk around him, when Obi caught her arm. She gave him a surprised look.

"Please be careful," he urged her with quiet intensity.

She allowed him a rare smile before exiting the bridge.

Riker crossed his arms and glanced at his second in command. "I know how you feel, Patrick...our time with each other might be far briefer than any of us would have hoped. But we all still have to do our part."

"Aye sir," Obi said quietly taking a step backward.

"Captain, we've sustained massive damage to the secondary hull that must be repaired, if we are to sustain integrity," Lt. Commander Meeta reported from ops. "I recommend deploying robotic hull repair units, Captain."

"Do it," Riker agreed.

"Incoming message from the _USS Sentinel,_ Captain."

"Patch it through."

 _"Captain Riker this is Captain Jellico here."_

"Captain...what can I do for you?"

 _"After serving four years together Number One, and under these circumstances, that's the best you have for me?"_

Riker's first reaction was to ask Jellico what the hell he was talking about, but then remembered that in this altered universe, he had served under Edward Jellico for several years. But in Riker's own reality, he couldn't recall having met the man. "Sorry, Captain Jellico. I'm a little distracted here..."

 _"No hard feelings, Will. Listen I am just letting you know about our little plan, so you won't be surprised in about one minute when the Enterprise saucer section separates and descends into the atmosphere."_

 **"What?"**

 _"Given the...exigent circumstances, I had to give my command up to an odd, but capable fellow."_

"Captain Picard?"

 _"He certainly is determined to have us believe he's Picard. But Jean-Luc Picard has been been missing since-"_

"Trust me, Jellico...that's Captain Picard."

 _"I don't have time to argue with you, Riker."_

"Good. So then what exactly is this plan?"

 _"He's separating the saucer from the star drive. Worf is in command of the star drive, and will continue to fight the Malkatans with us, here in orbit. Picard is taking the saucer section below the atmosphere."_

"Why? The ship might not make it back out...you know that, Jellico! Why are you letting him go down there?"

" _What's left of our Starfleet officers are down on some South Pacific island, Riker, and the Malkatans have them guarded by an electro-magnetic field."_

"And we can't beam them out until it's down," said Riker. "I get it." He rubbed his chin anxiously. "What can I do to help?"

 _"Just keep your communications line open and your transporters ready. Our ships are full of refugees from the surface, so it's going to be on the Aldrin to take on any of those officers once the shield is down."_

* * *

Wesley shivered. It was growing dark in the alien desert and his right forearm was so swollen now that the skin felt tight. He tried to remember what his mother would have said, but thinking about his mother was counterproductive, because he became unexpectedly emotional. There was no use worrying about his mother or the baby, because he'd made a foolish decision to embark on a journey with Bok. Now Bok was dead, and Wesley would have to do his best to try and finish what he had started.

He couldn't move his wrist anymore without extreme pain, so he just let it sit there on his leg, while he continued the slow repair of the hover bike with his left hand. He was getting very thirsty, and glanced over toward the bar Galactic Oasis again, considering going in for a drink of water. _Not going to happen, I need to wait here for Mayer._

Sighing with the minor satisfaction of realizing the bike was now as good as he could make it, he unfolded his stiff legs and lay back against the dune, resting his head. The temperature had dropped considerably, but the sand dune continued to radiate heat up into his body, keeping him warm. The wind had died down, and he had actually begun to drift off to sleep. At the edge of a dream-like state he began to remember what had originally happened on board the _Enterprise_ before the star drive had been lost. Now Wesley understood that the captain must have somehow sensed that the _Enterprise_ had passed the Singularity Net, and something had compelled him to return, despite the danger. Commander Riker had questioned how the captain could have seen something that wasn't even there. But something had been there...Data had confirmed trace amounts of graviton particles...virtually undetectable by the ship's sensors. Wesley covered his eyes with his left arm and tried to calm his thoughts. What if the Captain had remembered what he had done in 2355? That he had destroyed the _Stargazer_ inside the Singularity Net. What if he was somehow caught in a time loop, doomed to carry out the same futile actions over and over?

Suddenly it occurred to him that the neutralizer technology-this key to everything had been central in 2355, and in the altered universe of 2367 as well, the one he'd just left. But it had been unknown to all involved prior to the loss of the _Enterprise_. What would have happened if Picard had been able to use the neutralizer that day? Would he have succeeded in whatever he was trying to do?

* * *

He was about to drift deeper into sleep, when there was a strange slow ripping sound like a pocket unzipping. Wes jerked awake, sitting up and leaned on his left elbow, trying to determine what had just happened.

He recoiled in horror as a face half the size of his own body descended from the night sky. At first, he believed it was Mayer, because the mouth was wide and toothless, but then as the grey face approached closer, it grew even more alien to him. He tried to crawl away, but an enormous hand reached out and grabbed him around the middle. Wesley screamed into the darkness, but the alien pulled him closer. Its words penetrated his mind. _Where is my key, thief? It was here on this planet, and now it is gone. Where is it?_

Wesley found himself completely unable to speak as the giant hand closed around him. It lifted him into the air, and he soon found himself staring into that frightening mouth. "I...I don't have it! Mayer does."

The creature squinted its eyes at him and brought him closer. "I must have my prison returned to its proper place. It has been dispersed and it must be found and returned," the creature said in a booming voice.

"Do you-do you know the Traveler?"

The creature's eyes narrowed again and suddenly it dropped him to the ground. "Where is this Mayer?"

"I-don't know," Wesley said, scrambling backward.

"Then you will perish!"

Wesley covered his face, aware that he was about to die, but he heard the ripping sound again and when he dared look the Jailor was gone.

Rolling over on his stomach, Wesley spotted a familiar figure in the distance. It was Mayer. Grabbing the handlebars of the hover bike he righted it and hopped on, now oblivious to the danger.

* * *

Grand Chancellor Unh sat comfortably in his command chair. For the most part the battle was still going in favor of his people, but the clever humans had unleashed a strange robotic weapon which had destroyed several of his best ships. Now he was focused on Picard, who was in the saucer-shaped vessel.

"He appears to be headed for the planet's surface," General Razul said.

"Follow him," Unh urged them, getting up from his chair.

Suddenly the ship wobbled unsteadily. "Have we been hit?" Unh demanded.

"No," said his weapons officer sounding confused. Suddenly he looked up from his post in horror. "Chancellor, I don't...I don't understand my console!"

"Relieve him!" Unh screamed furiously.

Razul rushed forward throwing the weapons officer from his post, and glared down at the controls. Shocked he turned to address the Chancellor. "He is right my lord, the controls make no sense. There was a growing murmur around the bridge as all of his officers began to express frustration related to their posts.

Outraged, Unh rushed forward and grabbed the helm away from a bemused crewman. Slamming his fist into the controls, the ship began to descend.

* * *

"Captain!"

Riker turned to look sharply at Lieutenant Kashirin at tactical. "Report, Lieutenant."

"Sir the Malkatan ships are beginning to fly erratically sir."

"Some kind of system-wide malfunction?" Obi asked.

"Unknown, sir."

"Captain we have an incoming enemy ship, coming in at full speed. It's out of control, sir!"

"Evasive action, full power to shields," Riker shouted.

"Brace for impact!"

* * *

 ** _The Enterprise_**

"Why is the ship shaking like this?" Mary yelled over the sound of the vibrating instruments.

"I told you...a starship wasn't designed to enter a planet's atmosphere; at least not for long," Picard shouted back to her. "It's not going to get any better than this, so hang on."

"We're being followed," Mary warned him.

"Let them come," Picard said.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

* * *

 ** _The Aldrin_**

"Enemy ship incoming!"

"Evasive action," Riker shouted. "Heading 22 mark 4."

"Evasive action," confirmed the helm.

The _Aldrin_ swung up and away from the oncoming ship to the coordinates identified by Riker, but the collision, although glancing, was still unavoidable. The right side of the ship took the brunt of the collision and Riker himself was flung from his chair from the force of it. In a daze he climbed back into his chair and tapped at the controls on the armrest, glancing at Commander Obi, who was crouched on the deck nearby. Several other crew members were struggling to right themselves and get back to their posts. "Damage report," Riker said wearily.

"Sir we've taken damage to our starboard side. That ship was out of control."

 _Warning. Shields have sustained heavy damage._

 _"_ What the hell is happening out there? I'd like some information please," Riker shouted.

"The sudden and widespread erratic helm control among the Malkatan ships, indicate a computer malfunction or series of malfunctions, Captain," said Meeta from Ops.

Riker hit the communications relay. "Riker to Worf."

There was a scratchy sound and then a familiar voice broke through. _"Worf here."_

"It's good to hear your voice too, Worf," said Riker. "Look, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

 _"The Malkatan fleet seems to be out of control, and in disarray Captain,"_ Worf agreed.

"Right," said Riker. "The _Aldrin_ needs to stay within transporter range, so that we can beam the officers up to safety, assuming Picard can get that shield down. But Worf but you don't need to be here and neither do the other few ships we have left. Now I'm going to leave it up to you to reason with Captains Jellico and Martens and get them to move out of range of these careening ships."

 _"And what then, Captain?"_

"Try your best to cover us by taking the rest of these ships out from a safe distance away. Meanwhile we'll wait for Picard's signal."

 _"Captain, I refuse to leave the battle."_

"Worf...let's save what's left of our people and get them to safety! There _is_ no battle left. The Malkatans aren't even firing anymore...who knows why. But something's gone very wrong for them."

* * *

 **The Lead Malkatan ship**

"Picard you spawn of a Drat...you've done something in the past, haven't you? Something to change the present..." The pressure suit covering Grand Chancellor Unh' s uniform dripped with perspiration, and a putrid light blue liquid had begun to seep from his leg underneath his suit. An old injury which seemed remarkably and disturbingly new again.

Twelve years ago Picard had shot him in that leg with a disruptor and inexplicably he was now bleeding again from the same wound. But what was even worse...the technology on board his ship was failing...regressing even. He grunted as he tied a crude turniquet around his leg and glanced around in disgust at his officers. Some of them phasing from existence, and all of them disoriented they crawled around the bridge groaning and confused.

The instrumentation around the bridge was becoming simpler, and appeared almost as Malkatan technology had before he had captured Picard and his crew all those years before. He felt a disorienting wave pass over him and he vomited. Steadying himself at the controls of the ship, he knew; there was only one explanation for all of this. Picard had disrupted the Singularity Net somehow in the past. And as a result, the Malkatans were no longer supposed to be here at this time and place, wielding the impressive technology of the Singularity Net. "Trying to defeat me again are you, Picard? Well you won't win! I'll see your ship in flames before you beat me."

* * *

 ** _The Saucer Section_**

"Jean-Luc, they're not letting us go. Whoever is flying that thing has a serious grudge against you, son."

"Mary, it's very possible that you are correct," Picard replied. "But at this moment, I couldn't care less about the motivations of the commander of that ship."

The ship shook as the forces of gravity took hold and the saucer shot down through the Earth's atmosphere. Black turned to blue with white wisps of clouds breaking around the front of the ship.

 _Target achievable in seven minutes._

Concentration was all that mattered, he told himself. "The _Stargazer_ wasn't built for this kind of heavy gravity," he murmured. "And I've got no maneuverability to speak of, as I would out in space."

"What's a star gazer?"

"My ship," he confirmed over the growing vibration in the deck beneath them.

"Oh! Your _old_ ship," Mary acknowledged. "But we're here on the _Enterprise_ , Jean-Luc. Stay with me now, son," she encouraged him.

He shook his head, trying to steady his blurred vision. He was present and yet he was not. "Doesn't matter. The saucer section isn't made for this kind of trip either. Damn...they're firing on us again," he said, firing back with the aft phasers, and switching the viewer momentarily to a backwards view. His return phaser fire grazed the Malkatan ship.

The spinning Malkatan ship appeared to be losing its structural integrity, and wobbled as though the pilot was intoxicated. "Something's not right with that ship, Mary," he announced switching to the forward view screen again. "And I for one...am _not_ complaining."

Suddenly a beeping signal emitted from Mary's console. "Um...someone's calling us...I mean we're being hailed...I think," she reported nervously.

"Ignore them," he snapped. "We've got more important things to do than chit chat."

Mary shrugged, keeping her eye on the inertial dampers. "I don't know what button to hit for that anyway," she admitted. Her eyes widened as she saw the console was flashing red at her. "But-but...oh no!"

 _Inertial dampers are malfunctioning,_ said the computer. _Deceleration is compromised. The ship's rapid descent must be addressed._

Picard growled something to himself about the joys of having a civilian crew.

"Hey, I'm doing my best," Mary insisted.

 _Approaching target in three minutes. Enemy vessel is continuing to hail us,_ reported the computer.

"Too late," Picard whispered to himself, ignoring the computer's report. The hull creaked from the strain of gravity and he could imagine that from the outside the ship would appear to be dropping like a smooth grey stone from the sky. He attempted to compensate by varying the strength of the thrusters along the hull, but the saucer continued its swift descent, falling faster and faster. It was all he could do to keep the ship on course. _Foolish goddamn plan, Jean-Luc. Very foolish._

 _"Snap out of it!"_ Mary was suddenly yelling into his face. "Will you look, Jean-Luc?" She was pointing at the view screen. "We're almost there!"

He laughed almost reflexively at the beautiful yet terrifying sight of the expansive ocean rapidly approaching ahead of them on the view screen. "Computer get me a lock on the electromagnetic reading down on that island. I need exact coordinates," he said.

* * *

 ** _Warning. Intruder alert._**

Something sounding similar to a transporter beam announced itself behind them, and Picard's head snapped around to look in time to see a large blue creature barreling toward him. Leaping up to shield Mary, he pulled his phaser, firing at the creature. If Mary had asked him a moment ago, who had been flying the ship that had pursued them into Earth's atmosphere, he would not have been able to tell her. And yet now, the recognition was as immediate for him as it was for Unh. His vision blurred as he phased back twelve years into the past.

 _Gripping the pistol, he ran from the room and raced down the hall, now working from the memory of having been dragged down it by his arms just days before. The door to the room he was looking for was already open._

 _General Unh lay on the floor, unconscious. Picard pulled out the hypo and put it to the Malkatan's neck. "Wake up," shouted Picard. "Wake up!" Slowly the Malkatan opened his narrow eyes, and looked at Picard. His eyes widened just slightly before Picard wrapped his hands around the General's neck, squeezing with all of his might. The alien began to choke and wheeze, pounding Picard with his powerful arms, but Picard just gripped him harder._

The sharp yellow teeth set in an enormous blue face, traveled with him from one reality to the next and he was again on the _Enterprise_ , but only physically. "You murdered my crew!" Picard screamed, leaping onto the Malkatan, who in turn leaped at him.

"I should have finished you off twelve years ago myself, Picard" Unh roared, striking at him with his disruptor, but Picard moved aside, now feeling himself again for the first time in days. This was what was supposed to happen. He was to confront and kill the murderer of his crew.

 _The electromagnetic field has been targeted,_ said the computer. _Warning. The target will be out of range in sixty-five seconds._

Picard wrapped his hands around the bulging neck of the Malkatan General, wrestling him to the deck. Unh struck at him with his disruptor, and even fired off a wild shot, but Picard was so focused, that he didn't notice, didn't even try to move away. "I...will...finish you," Picard promised, moving his face so close to Unh's as he tightened his grip, that he could smell the Malkatan's stench, just as he had on the base. Except now _he_ was in control, as the alien sputtered beneath him.

 _The target will be out of range in 45 seconds._

 _"_ Jean-Luc, what are you doing?" Mary was screaming. "You've got to rescue those prisoners! Now!" He loosened his grip on Unh's throat only marginally. "Think of Beverly," Mary yelled, shaking his shoulders. "Think of your friends."

"He killed my crew," Picard sobbed, still not wanting to let go.

"Leave him," she implored, grabbing him by the shoulders. "He's almost dead. You're not a killer," she said, still holding onto him, as they backed away from the Malkatan, who still lay on the deck, gasping for breath. "You're not a killer, son."

Mary took the phaser from him gently, and then to his surprise aimed it at the Malkatan. She fired and then looked up at Picard. "It was on stun...I think. Now we've got to hurry."

He nodded, tears still stinging his eyes and dropped back into his seat at the helm. His hands found the controls immediately. "Target is in sight," he whispered, now able to see a strange dome of energy covering the entire small tropical island. The ship shuddered again, and he recognized now that at this velocity, and this angle, there would be no way to save his ship. The vast ocean drew ever closer and in a few minutes would be the saucer section's final resting place. "Jean-Luc Picard, destroyer of star ships," he murmured to himself. "Firing phasers," he said aloud, repeating the same action momentarily with a short burst of fire. The electro magnetic field wavered for an instant and then disappeared. Mary let out a cheer beside him.

"Picard to fleet, I have freed the captured officers...you may beam them up when ready."

" _Acknowledged_ , Captain Picard." came Riker's voice. _"And welcome back. Prepare for transport."_

"Two to beam up," Picard said turning his head to smile at Mary. They grasped hands just as the nose of the saucer struck the surface of the ocean. But instead of a violent impact, they felt the cool embrace of the transporter beam.

* * *

 ** _The Aldrin_**

"Security reports that the recaptured officers are safe and now in the main shuttle bay, Captain," Lieutenant Kashirin reported.

Riker closed his eyes and rubbed both his hands over his face. To say he was relieved would have been an understatement. "And Picard?"

Kashirin read the report streaming onto her console and typed something back to the security detail. "Uh, sir...no one knows what he looks like. The reports show the transport from the _Enterprise_ saucer section was successful and brought two people aboard."

Riker sighed and crossed his arms over his chest looking down at the deck. "Good enough for now. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit for a full reunion." He paused a moment more before tapping his communicator. "Riker to Troi..."

 _"Troi here, Will. Good to hear from you. Are we out of danger?"_

Riker laughed. "Nearly. Where are you? How is Beverly?"

 _"She's well, all things considered. We're in holodeck three."_

Riker took a deep breath. "Tell her...tell her we've got him. Captain Picard is here on board the _Aldrin_."

 _"Oh...oh I haven't heard such good news in so long. Thank you Will, I will tell her."_

Riker smiled, imagining seeing her again. "I'll see you soon then."

 _"Yes. Soon."_

"Captain the rest of the fleet has now retreated to a safer distance," Obi reported from behind Meeta at Ops. "And they've managed to clear some more of the enemy ships, sir." Despite the positive news, Obi still looked and felt very tense. Minutes ago, Johanna Mayer had exited the bridge in an attempt to try and retrieve the CASU unit from the control station in the torpedo bay with Data and LaForge. The CASU unit had malfunctioned and the plan had been to try and re-establish a link to bring it back aboard. Then they'd been forced to head to a new set of coordinates to avoid an out of control enemy ship and CASU had been left behind. Now Obi hoped that Johanna had given up and was headed back to the bridge. Despite her cold exterior, troubled inner world and questionable actions, he now suspected that he in fact loved her. His hand shook slightly as he brought it to his chest to hit his communicator.

"Obi to Doctor Mayer," he said. "Doctor we haven't received a report from you, and-"

 _"Mayer here...Commander...Patrick, I just need a minute more to establish the communications link. The ship moved coordinates, making the link up more difficult-"_

"Please remind her we were in the middle of a _battle_ , Commander," Riker said tightly.

"Johanna, we were forced to take evasive action," said Obi. "As it is we're still at risk of being struck by one of the enemy ships. You may have to abandon your attempts to save CASU."

Riker made a cutting motion with his hand, and then hit his communicator. "Nope...scratch that, Doctor. You need to abort your attempts to retrieve CASU immediately. We have our people from the surface now, and we need to get out of this tangled mass of ships and re-group later from a safer vantage point."

 _"But Captain-"_

"Incoming! Brace for impact!"

Riker dove for a nearby railing heeding Kashirin's warning, but the collision happened so quickly that everyone was taken by surprise. A deafening explosion erupted at the back of the bridge and smoke began to pour from the ceiling.

Kashirin was the first to pull herself up off the deck to lean on the tactical station, dazed and injured. Behind her a tech was spraying fire suppressant. "Decks 27 to 21 have sustained massive damage, Captain."

"Impulse power is minimal, and we've lost at least two plasma injectors."

"Little to no plasma transfer to the starboard nacelle, Captain."

Riker coughed, still sitting on the deck. "Send out a probe and get me a visual on the secondary hull," he ordered.

"Aye sir...on viewer."

Immediately the image of the _Aldrin_ appeared, its blackened hull showing that they had come very close to being sliced in half by a careening Malkatan ship.

"Riker to Engineering." There was no answer. "Riker to LaForge. I can't get anyone in Engineering. Do you have any idea about our propulsion..."

The reply was static filled and he heard screaming in the background. _"Captain, we've got plasma fires out of control down here-we tried-Data went back for Doctor Mayer, but-sir she wouldn't leave the torpedo bay."_

"She's on Deck 25," Obi whispered, turning to Riker. "Sir, she's on deck 25," he said in a stronger voice.

Riker stepped toward him. "Listen to me Patrick. There's nothing you can do for Johanna now."

"I have to go and help her. Shouldn't have let her go down there in the first place." Obi took a step past Riker, but Riker grabbed the man around his shoulders. "Patrick! Patrick, there's nothing you can do."

"She's on deck 25," Obi repeated in shock.

Riker grabbed the big man by his shoulders and shook him gently. "Patrick...there is no more deck 25. It's gone...she's gone. I'm sorry." Obi stepped back, still staring down at the deck.

Riker slowly loosened his grip and let the man go. There was no time to console anyone right now. There would be hundreds at least dead, and they still didn't know if propulsion was repairable.

 _"Chief Engineer to Captain Riker."_

Finally. "Riker here. Report Chief."

 _"Captain I've lost at least a third of my people down here today. We've put out the fires now...but we're dead in the water, sir. We've got no impulse and no warp capability without the plasma injectors."_

Suddenly there was another rumble of an explosion in the interior of the ship and it was then that Riker knew what he had to do.

"Another plasma explosion, Captain. We've started evacuating all personnel to the upper decks, sir," Obi said from a science station. His face was a jumble of emotions, mirroring the way Riker felt himself.

"Attention crew: begin total evacuation procedures," said Will. "Get to the life pods and shuttle craft."

* * *

The whole ship seemed to thunder with a series of new explosions and then there was a sensation below Deanna's feet as though the ship was folding in on itself. Overcoming her nausea and pushing herself up to a sitting position, she saw that Beverly was crouching not far away from her with the baby protectively in her arms. For now they were alright. The holodeck program had aborted itself and the black and gold grid had returned.

 _"Attention crew: begin total evacuation procedures. Get to the life pods and shuttle craft."_

The fear and uncertainty in Will Riker's voice was disheartening, but somehow did not deter Deanna from what she knew she needed to do. She stood up and reached her hand out to Beverly. "We've got to hurry, Beverly. We need to evacuate the ship."

Beverly stood up straighter and hugged the baby to her chest. The faraway look in her eyes had returned and Deanna knew this was more than just a coping mechanism. It seemed that once again her friend wasn't quite with her in the present. And still she was able to make her intentions very clear. "You should go Deanna...get to safety. I'm not going anywhere without Jean-Luc."


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

* * *

 **The Planet Glanau 2366**

When Mayer turned to see Wesley speeding across the dusty plain toward him on the repaired hover bike, he began to run away in the opposite direction. Determined, the teenager hunkered down and closed the distance quickly. It was now dark and he turned on the bright headlight of the vehicle, hoping to blind Mayer in the process. Despite being on foot, Mayer's steps did not slow, until abruptly he stopped and spun around to face Wesley with flashing eyes. Wesley zoomed up alongside Mayer and kicked out with his foot, catching Mayer in the chest. The man tumbled backwards, and then disappeared into thin air. Seconds later, he saw Mayer again, much farther away. Spinning the bike around, Wesley kicked the accelerator and sped off toward his foe. It was a game they were playing and Wesley was determined not to be the one to lose.

* * *

 ** _The Aldrin 2367_**

"Nonsense, Beverly," Deanna said still holding out her hand. "I'm not leaving you here. We'll go together. Besides, Captain Picard will have heard the evacuation announcement too."

"But he won't leave. He's thinking the same thing I am Deanna. He wants to find us."

"Of course he does,"Deanna agreed gently. "But...we should at least keep moving." She hit her communicator. "Counselor Troi to Captain Picard." She saw Beverly's eyes widen. The communicator chattered, but there was no response. Honestly she hadn't expected any, but she wanted Beverly to know she was still on her side...that she was trying to help. "I don't believe that he has a communicator," Troi said calmly. "But as soon as we can establish communication we will...I promise. But it's not safe here anymore, Beverly. We have to go."

Beverly stared at her friend apparently considering whatever slim options she had, and then nodded slowly. "Fine...but we have to keep trying to reach him. And if we get to a life pod before him I'm not leaving without him," she said stubbornly. She reached out and took Deanna's hand. "Alright?"

Deanna smiled. "Alright."

* * *

 **A few minutes beforehand...**

The shuttle bay was overcrowded, and no one appeared to be in charge. The rescued Starfleet officers milled around intermixed with civilian refugees and the Aldrin' s security personnel. Picard turned his head to look down at Mary and smiled at her. Her eyes were still shut tightly.

"You can open your eyes now, my friend. We're safe now," he reassured her.

She opened her eyes slowly. "Meaning we haven't crashed into the ocean...and we're still alive," she said feeling her face and then her arms.

"Yes," he laughed. "Now I have to go and try to find Beverly," he said quickly. Just then there was a high pitched whistle and a jet of plasma burst from a vent in the ceiling above them. Picard hugged Mary to him and they crouched down. Then a series of violent explosions reverberated through the decks beneath them, and people began rushing by he and Mary.

"What's happening?" Mary shouted over the screams, pushing and shoving of the crowd around her. She continued to hold Jean-Luc's hand and gripped it tighter as she realized they had just transported into chaos. "You said we were safe!"

"Perhaps I spoke too soon!" he shouted over the noise.

Picard was in a daze as he stared at the crew members rushing around them, pushing for the exits. The recaptured officers were traumatized of course, and now they were discovering that they were still in danger.

Jean-Luc and Mary ducked again as the room began to fill with smoke. People went rolling and stumbling past them as the whole ship lurched to the side.

"Calm down!" He sudden heard a familiar voice yelling from a nearby exit. "We're going to get everyone to safety...But the ship has taken heavy damage and we've got to get to the upper decks. Just everyone take it slow."

Picard lifted his head straining to see over and through the crowd. It was Geordi LaForge. The engineer was covered in soot and his uniform was bloody and singed in places. Exhaustion, disorientation and his elation at seeing a familiar face nearly drove Jean-Luc to tears. "Geordi!" he shouted, pulling Mary along with him through the crowd of people. "Geordi!"

LaForge's forehead creased as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and then he broke into a brilliant smile. "Captain? I can't believe it's you!"

The two men hugged briefly and then as Geordi pulled away, Picard gripped his forearms desperately. "Geordi, is Beverly alright? How is the baby?"

Geordi studied the Captain closely. His readings were completely off. He didn't bother to ask whether Picard was alright, because clearly he was not. His electromagnetic signatures shifted back and forth according to Geordi's Visor, almost as though he was more than one person. "Sir, I'm sorry, but I haven't exactly met the baby yet...But I'm sure everything is-"

Picard suddenly closed his eyes and his knees buckled.

"Whoa!" exclaimed LaForge, catching Picard and holding him until the captain was able to steady himself. "Careful sir." Noticing Mary for the first time, LaForge smiled grimly and nodded at her. "Ma'am."

Picard passed the back of his hand over his eyes. "Where is she, Geordi? I don't think I have much time left."

"Don't say that, Jean-Luc," Mary protested, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Picard sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Geordi this is Mary...Mary, this is my chief engineer-former chief engineer," he corrected himself.

"Hello young man," Mary said.

Geordi smiled again as he looked at the old woman, who seemed an unlikely companion for Picard; and yet he guessed she had been one of the captain's few allies over these last weeks.

Suddenly Riker's voice sounded over the intercom. He was announcing a shipwide evacuation.

"Shit," LaForge whispered, as the crowd which had been streaming past him at a moderate rate, now was like a river of frantic people. "Wait!" He shouted. "You heard Captain Riker...he said get to the shuttles. We're in the main shuttle bay," he said waving people out of the corridor. He stepped out of the exit trying to direct bodies as much possible before returning to the shuttle bay entrance. Captain Picard and Mary had waited for him and Picard was clearly still expecting to hear some news about Beverly.

Turning back to the Captain he tapped his communicator. "LaForge to Counselor Troi."

The only immediate signal was static-filled but then, " _Troi here...Geordi are you okay? What's happening?"_

"Evacuation," he said quickly. "Look Counselor, is Doctor Crusher with you?"

 _"Yes, we're on deck sixteen now and headed for an escape pod."_

Geordi' s Visor displayed Picard's vitals fluctuating again. "Captain Picard is here with me," he said. "We're on deck twenty."

"Tell her...tell her I'm on my way," Picard said, his voice wavering slightly.

"The Captain's on his way."

* * *

Wesley slowed the bike down and let it hover about half a meter above the ground. "Why are you running from me, doctor?" He yelled into the night toward the last location he'd seen Mayer standing. "Or is this all part of your big experiment?" Wesley cut the motor and for a moment could only hear the wind howling in his ears.

Pulling his small bag from over his shoulder he reached in and pulled out a tricorder. It was full of sand and dust but was still functional. Flipping it open he turned on its sensor sweep and held it up in the air. He adjusted the settings. Mayer's disappearing/reappearing act was getting old, and if Wesley wasn't careful, it could be his demise. He studied the sensor readings. The scientist had seemed to appear and disappear at random places and times. But now Wesley could see strange signatures in the surrounding air. Adjusting the controls again he could see that there were six areas on the horizon showing significant amounts of radiation.

According to the Traveler, Picard had destroyed or disrupted the Singularity Net in the past; at least he had tried to. No doubt Mayer had been there as well and had himself been killed. Perhaps he was still trying to regenerate fully before attacking Wesley head on. Meanwhile Mayer's body continued to be saturated with radiation from the destruction of the Net; the same radiation that was hanging in the air around Wesley. Mayer must have been using these spots over and over to teleport into Wesley's time and space. _Some kind of temporal conduit. He's using these spots to travel through. I'll wait for him to pop back through...And then I'll stun him._

* * *

Picard turned to Mary. "Mary, please stay with Mr. LaForge...he will ensure you reach an escape pod safely," he said. "Thank you for your bravery...and for seeing it all through with me."

Mary nodded sadly. "I knew we'd have to part ways soon enough, son. Please be safe and take care of your new family."

"I will," he said, and with a final nod to LaForge he moved away at a quick pace.

* * *

The condition of the ship was deteriorating quickly as crew members and Earth refugees scrambled for safety. Safety could now only be found outside the confines of the dying star ship, and amidst the shouts he heard the repeated hiss of escape pods deploying. He could feel the heat from the spreading fires beginning to take over the ship, soon to be claiming their prize.

He didn't bother with the turbolifts, there was no point, really. Instead he climbed one utility ladder after the other as quickly as he could, until he reached deck sixteen. Out of breath and exhausted, his senses were still somehow enhanced as he searched frantically for Beverly through the smoky hallways.

She must have seen him first, because she began shouting his name over and over. "Jean-Luc!"

He skidded to a stop, heart racing wildly, and then started forward again when he saw them through the smoke. Beverly with their child bundled in her arms. Beside them stood Deanna looking worried and yet relieved to see him come from nowhere.

He ran the rest of the way nearly falling into her embrace. Wrapping his arms around Beverly and the baby, he heard himself say, "this time I know you are real."

Beverly pulled back and looked into his eyes searchingly. "You remember?"

He kissed her on the cheek. "Yes...now I remember everything. Everything," he repeated looking down at the baby. He laughed, touching the baby under her chin with his finger. "She's so small," he observed. Beverly kissed him, pulling him close.

"You really do remember then," she said when she released him. "The things I told you all those years ago." Her eyes were burning from emotional exhaustion.

"Yes." He nodded and glanced at Deanna. "It's good to see you, Counselor," he said.

Deanna wiped a tear from her cheek. "You as well, captain. It has been _far_ too long."

 _Warning. Primary and secondary hull failure is imminent. Immediate evacuation is required. Decks thirty-six through thirteen will decompress in five minutes. Warning._

"Let's not waste any more time," Picard said. "We've got to get off of this ship."


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

* * *

 **The Planet Glanau 2366**

Wesley Crusher lay flat on his belly behind a small sand dune. His elbow had been bent holding his small phaser at the ready for hours now, and consequently his hand and entire forearm were asleep. From this vantage point he had used his tricorder to map out all six temporal points that Mayer had previously used to travel through; and from here all were within phaser range. Now all he had to do was stay awake and aim correctly once Mayer arrived.

Wesley was exhausted and if he hadn't been so on edge and freezing cold he would have fallen asleep. But it was the pressure of having the entire outcome riding on his shoulders that kept him awake. It was nearly dawn which meant the black night was turning dark blue on the horizon, and soon he would actually be able to see something.

He had dozed off, waking to a popping sound. One he had heard before. Mayer was back, and was in front of him before he could say a word. Mayer picked Wesley up by his collar and shook him. "You want to know why I keep coming back here, don't you, boy?" His eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on Wesley's coat. "Picard killed me once, and disrupted my Singularity Net in the process. My only consolation is that he is now dead and unlike me, won't be coming back."

He threw Wesley to the ground violently and took a step to the side. "It took me some time, young man, but as you can see I have my strength back. And Picard is still dead!" He kicked Wesley in the side with the toe of his boot, but the teenager was able to roll away, avoiding the full impact of the blow. Clutching his broken wrist underneath him, Wesley crawled further away to gain some distance.

Mayer pursued him, still gloating. He pulled a long knife from under his coat, waving it at Wesley. "I have seen our future Wesley, and it doesn't turn out well for me young man. Do you really think I would let you live now, so that you can do away with me in the future?"

"I think you're going to regret coming back here," Wesley said lifting himself up to fire the phaser at Mayer, hitting him in the knee just inches above the neutralizer he wore around his ankle. Mayer fell to the ground, and Wesley grabbed for the neutralizer with his bad arm, wrapping his fingers around the device tightly. The force of Mayer's backwards momentum caused the bracelet to rip free into Wesley's palm. Rolling away quickly, he got to his feet, with the phaser still trained on his enemy.

Still on the ground, Mayer began to laugh. "After Picard killed us both in 2355, I fashioned a new and improved neutralizer, so that I can now wield my singularity technology even more powerfully. And this version should prove a bit harder to steal from me," he said pulling his coat away to reveal a glowing blue and metallic circle implanted in his pale chest.

"It doesn't matter," Wesley said, still determined yet horrified at the mutilating lengths Mayer was willing to go to retain his grip on the future...and the past. "Because if I'm right, I only need one of these." Wesley held up the neutralizer. "And you're not going anywhere."

* * *

 **The Bridge**

Riker sat back in his command chair but he was anything but relaxed. Now the only organic life form left on the bridge of the _Aldrin_ , he kept his eyes alternatively on the view screen and the console on the arm of the chair. A diagram of the _Aldrin_ on his personal console indicated that most decks had now been completely evacuated with emergency craft already safely departed the failing ship. The forward view screen showed a flotilla of small craft spreading out in front of the dying ship.

They would rendezvous with the _Enterprise_ Stardrive and the other remaining ships which, at the time of the Aldrin's collision with the Malkatan ship, had been well outside of transporter range. Now while the remaining ships in the fleet were certainly within just seconds of warping back to assist the Aldrin, the former battle zone was still a disaster area with Malkatan vessels careening into one another and generally spinning wildly in every direction. There was no point in bringing what was left of the fleet back here just to have the same thing happen to ships that were already wounded.

Riker turned his attention back to the ship diagram. All of the decks below deck 20 were glowing red on the screen, having been completely overcome by fire. And still the plasma fire continued to spread upward eating away the hull.

Commander Obi's disembodied voice kept him updated from deck 10, where he continued to coordinate the evacuation with Lieutenant Commander Data. Riker anxiously tapped his fingertips on the armrest in between reports. " _Captain, all three shuttle bays are now clear, and we've evacuated all decks below Deck 20."_

 _"_ And decks 19 and up?"

" _The fire is spreading quickly throughout the secondary hull. The ship is a total loss, Captain."_

"How many dead?" Riker asked.

 _"Fifteen reported deaths, Captain,"_ Obi reported. _"I'm sorry sir."_

"Understood," Riker acknowledged heavily. "Continue with the evacuation procedures and inform me when the last life pods are away."

 _"Yes sir...is the Captain's Boat functional, sir?"_

Riker glanced over at an auxiliary doorway, on the other side of which lay an emergency life pod. He got up and walked over quickly, inputting a code which opened the inner door. Immediately facing him was the outer hatch of a small life pod, big enough for several people, but commonly known in Starfleet circles as the "Captain's Boat" because it was the Captain who would be the last to leave the ship and usually escaped from the bridge-if the captain escaped at all. "The life boat appears to be working," Will confirmed with Obi, noting the green blinking light on the hatch door. "Just like from days of old," he murmured.

 _"Good thing, sir. I anticipate the remaining pods will be away within the next few minutes."_

"Keep me informed, Commander...and be careful."

 _"Yes sir. You too"_

Riker paced back to the center of the bridge and stood there. His stomach was in knots, and it was nearly impossible for him to see beyond the next few minutes. Until the crew was safely away he would be unable to think of anything else.

 _"Worf to Captain Riker."_

"Riker here." His heart leaped a little bit, hoping he would hear good news about Deanna, Beverly and Captain Picard.

" _Captain we are now receiving the second wave of occupants from the shuttles and escape pods,"_ said Worf.

Riker took a deep breath. "Good. Is Deanna aboard then?"

 _"Sir?"_

His heart, once leaping with hope, now dropped into the pit of his stomach. "What about Beverly?" he said dully.

 _"I am sorry, sir. No, they are not here. Perhaps they are on their way."_

Something wasn't right and Riker could feel it. He slapped at his communicator. "Riker to Troi! Deanna...come in Troi." He stalked around the bridge, looking for something to throw. He hit his communicator again. Deanna and _Beverly were on one of the upper decks in a holodeck when all of this fell apart. It should have been fairly easy for them to reach the life pods._ "Obi, I thought the majority of the pods were away?"

 _"Yes sir, but not all...we may have a situation. Hold on sir,_ " he said and Riker thought he heard Data speaking calmly but insistently in the background. When Obi came back on his tone was entirely different. _"Captain, some of the pods are still on board. Oh no...they're full of passengers but haven't been able to jettison away!"_

 _"What?_ Goddamn it, why haven't they deployed yet?"

 _"Data here, Captain. The inner docking latches in levels 19 through 14 have for lack of a better word, been fused shut by the high temperature of the plasma fires spread in through the hull. The pods cannot be deployed until the latches are freed and the overheated system has cooled down."_

 _"_ Either get those people out of the pods and back onto the ship or find a way to jettison the pods before everyone in there is incinerated,"Riker shouted.

 _Warning. Primary and secondary hull failure is imminent. Immediate evacuation is required. Decks thirty-six through thirteen will decompress in five minutes. Warning._

"Deanna, where are you?"

* * *

 **Deck Sixteen**

After the computer announced the five minute countdown, Picard carefully took the baby from Beverly, who looked as exhausted as he had ever seen her. He could also see for the first time that she appeared confused and unsure of her surroundings. He had never held a baby before now, because he had always had an excuse not to; and because he was afraid. But now he wanted nothing more than to feel his daughter next to him and the only thing he was truly afraid of was leaving her now that they had met.

"Is there another way off of the base?" She asked Jean-Luc.

Troi looked back at Picard worriedly. "We're still on the _Aldrin_ , Beverly," she said.

"I know," said Beverly looking a bit clearer suddenly. They moved out of the way as a flood of people rushed by them and crammed into one of the last available pods. Frenzied hands reached out to pull the pod hatch shut with a clang. Soon that pod and the ten others on level sixteen would disembark the _Aldrin_ for safety. Meanwhile Deanna, Beverly, Jean-Luc and the baby were left in the corridor on deck 16, quickly trying to assess their options.

"That's the only one pod left," Deanna yelled pointing down the corridor. "Let's go."

She rushed to the outer hatch and tried to activate the latch through the computer system. Picard put his arm around Beverly's shoulders and she leaned against him tiredly. She seemed thinner and yet her presence and that of the baby reminded him that he was alive. "We're going to get out of here," he said hugging Beverly around her shoulders.

She rested her head on his shoulder. Tears suddenly filled her eyes. "Where is Wesley?" she whispered. "I don't even know if my son is alive anymore, Jean-Luc."

He turned his head sharply to look at her. She seemed disoriented and unfortunately he knew why. She had traveled into the past to save a past version of himself and she now paid the price for it. And now, for the first time in just the last few minutes since reuniting with him, she was mentioning her son. He felt extreme guilt at not having asked before-but there had been so little time.

"He wasn't on board with you?" he questioned.

Her lips trembled, and she encircled her arm around his waist. "No. He left...he went into the past to try and fix this...all of this, when I was in surgery having the baby. I couldn't protect him."

Picard tightened his arm around her shoulders, not knowing what to say. He hadn't been there for young Wesley or Beverly and now it was too late. He had no idea where Wesley had gone or for that matter where the boy had been all this time. He had been so isolated from all of the people he cared about for so long that he almost could not remember another life-or rather he remembered too many other lives and not one seemed to belong to him anymore.

Troi left Jean-Luc and Beverly and attempted to open the door to the remaining empty escape pod, using the wall touch pad, but it just buzzed at her. She tried again with no better luck. "It's not working," she said in frustration.

"Try the command code 'E Pod 1'," Picard called to her. She did as he instructed but the door would not budge.

"There has to be a manual override," he said, coughing through the smoke.

"Got it." Deanna had found a red switch and yanked it down before grabbing the handle to the hatch and pulling to the side with all of her might. The hatch hardly moved. She glanced behind her at Picard who was now handing the baby back to Beverly. He jogged over to her side and they both pulled at the hatch, moving the outer door by little more than an inch.

"The handle's too warm," the captain said to Deanna with alarm. "It shouldn't be this warm," he repeated.

"We're not getting into that pod in less than three minutes," Beverly warned them. "You heard the computer, we're running out of time! There has to be another way." Having noticed that Deanna's communicator badge had popped off of her uniform at some point during all of the commotion, Beverly knelt down and picked it up with her free hand.

Picard grunted and shifted his feet on the deck, gaining leverage to push with all of his weight on the door. Suddenly he felt a wave shift through his body and he wondered for a moment if he had left his feet.

Beverly watched in horror as Jean-Luc disappeared from view momentarily. She ran to him and put her palm out just as he reappeared in place. "What's happening to you?"

"It doesn't matter, we have to get out of here," he said reinforcing his efforts against the door. The baby had begun to cry and he struggled to maintain any semblance of calm in the face of impossible odds.

Deanna suddenly dropped to the deck on her knees. "Those poor people are trapped!"

That was when they heard the screams.

"Those people...they're trapped in the life pods, they haven't deployed," Beverly confirmed pointing down the corridor. She moved to help, but didn't want to get too close while trying to shield the baby. They could hear fists and boots slamming into the inner hatches trying to get back into the corridor. Deanna and Jean-Luc ran to provide assistance as the screams grew more desperate.


	50. Chapter 51

**Chapter 50**

 **The Planet Glanau 2366**

Mayer slowly got to his feet, the stun from Wesley's phaser having apparently worn off enough for him to move. He limped toward Wesley with an intimidating leer. "Why don't you kill me?" He suggested calmly as though it was a perfectly sane thing to say. "Because you know it won't be the end, Crusher... because you can _never_ end me."

Wesley raised the phaser, hand shaking as he pointed it at the wiry, sinister figure in front of him. He licked his dry lips. "You probably think I don't have the guts..."

Mayer laughed hideously and then turned around to walk away. Almost immediately he was surrounded by a ring of light from the sky and froze in place facing away from Wes. Wesley looked up in time to see the Traveler appear next to him. Wesley started to exclaim his thanks, but the Traveler pointed at Mayer.

 _"Thief,"_ boomed a voice from out if thin air. Instantly the tall grey alien who had confronted Wesley earlier now materialized with the same strange zipping sound next to Mayer. Mayer shielded his eyes from the bright light, but his legs were still frozen in place. The Jailor thrust his palm outward and the light formed into a small dome just covering Mayer. The Jailor stooped down from his considerable height to observe Mayer and his toothless mouth opened wide. _"This temporary prison will hold you until we return to my dimension."_

"You have no right!" Mayer snarled.

The Jailor clenched his giant fist and Mayer's mouth simply disappeared. " _You no longer have the capacity for speech. Your prison term will be adjusted accordingly as determined by the Judges."_ He opened his hand and the dome turned into a globe with Mayer stuck inside. The globe floated upward over the heads of Wesley and the Traveler until it shrunk down and fit inside the Jailor' s palm. He closed his fist again then slowly turned to look down at Wesley.

 _"You now hold the key in your hand. You are a Shaper. Use the key."_

 _"_ But I don't know..."

The Jailor reached down and covered Wesley's face with his hand. Immediately Wesley felt as though he was falling backwards, and then he saw a glimpse of the _Enterprise_ engineering center. Captain Picard was rushing around the room trying to program a way to save his ship from destruction by an invisible threat only he could perceive. Then suddenly Wesley's eyes snapped open again and the Jailor was gone. He turned to the Traveler. "I know where I have to travel to...Will you help me?"

The Traveler nodded with a small smile. "Yes."

* * *

 **Deck 11**

Lieutenant Commander Data crouched with Commander Patrick Obi in a deck 11 utility tunnel. The two officers had gone to attempt to access a Jeffries tube in order to try and repair the malfunctioning life pods. They had tried to repair the control panel inside the tube, but it had been too severely damaged by the spreading plasma fire.

Still holding the hyper spanner tool, Obi wiped sweat out of his eyes with the back of his cramped hand. The heat was overwhelming. "It's not working, damn it, and this hull is about to go Data. Once it does, were all dead."

Data nodded. "I do not think this panel is repairable,Commander. Perhaps we should attempt to override from the controls on deck twelve."

Obi looked at Data and gave him a half hearted smile. He wouldn't survive this. Somehow he knew this back when Riker had first explained the changing timeline. He thought of Johanna and wondered if he would see her again in one form or another. "We've only got minutes Data. You go," he said putting a hand on the android's shoulder.

"But, Commander, the efficacy of continuing to work on a panel that is clearly-"

"Data I'm ordering you to go. No time to waste."

Data frowned but backed out of the short tunnel quickly dropping into the corridor.

Once Data was outside in the hallway, Obi shut and locked the hatch. "Sir!" he heard Data protest,but it was too late.

Out in the hallway, Data hit his communicator. "Captain Riker, Commander Obi has locked himself in the Jeffries tube on deck 11."

 _"Patrick! Patrick get out of there!"_

* * *

Patrick Obi blinked more sweat out of his eyes, and crawled as far as he could toward the far wall inside the utility tunnel. As he grew closer he could see that the inner hull was now glowing green, a sure sign that it had been compromised by the fire. He stopped at one juncture and could see the green glow of the plasma gas crawling his way. _Two minutes to decompression and hull failure,_ the computer reported.

Obi came as close to the inner hull as he could without frying himself. "We need to cool it down in here," he said aloud. "I hope this works." He pulled his phaser and set it to a drilling mode. Sitting down with his knees tucked underneath him he fired the phaser at the hull, creating a circle just wider than his body. By the third pass with the phaser, he instinctively shut his eyes tightly. _Goodbye._

* * *

 **The Bridge**

 _Warning. Hull breach on Deck 11._

"Data, what's happening down there?" Riker demanded.

The answer came slowly, as there continued to be static with communication. " _Sir, Commander Obi deliberately compromised the hull sir...I believe he intended to lessen the effects of the plasma fire...and he succeeded in doing so, gaining additional time. It is unfortunate that he lost his life in the process."_

Riker shut his eyes. Too many lives had been lost.

 _Warning. Decompression in 10 minutes._

Data was right, Obi had won them a few more minutes. Riker ran to the ops station an began to type in a code. "Data, the cooling of the hull has brought some systems back online. I'll try and get the life pods from on decks 19 through 14 and you work on the rest of the upper decks from your end."

 _"Aye sir."_

As Riker worked he was able to deploy the life pods on each of his levels one by one. When he was done, he paused and hit his communicator. "Data?"

 _"All life pods in levels 13 through 2 have now disembarked the Aldrin, sir. It remains to be seen if the occupants will survive, Captain."_

"Think positive Data...it's all we have. Now get up here to the bridge. I'll activate the Captain's Boat from here."

 _Warning. Hull has been compromised. Two minutes until decompression._

"We're back here again," Riker said. He hesitated before reaching up to tap his communicator again. "Counselor Troi...come in...Computer where is Counselor Deanna Troi?"

 _Counselor Troi is on deck 16._

" _Why_ didn't you tell me that before?" Riker shouted up at the ceiling.

* * *

 **Deck 16**

Deanna felt the strain in her back as she continued to help Picard use a tool to pry the hatch door loose. Suddenly he put a hand on her arm. "Wait! Something's happened...look." The activation light on the door of the life pod they were hammering on had turned from red to green. "Computer what is the status of life pods 278 through 288?" he asked, stepping away. Deanna staggered backward into him, exhausted.

 _Life pods 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288 have now deployed._

Picard let out a sigh of relief and bent forward with his hands on his knees.

 _Ninety seconds until decompression._

"Deanna," Beverly called out from behind them. "Your communicator is buzzing."

 _Will._ Deanna turned, not having realized her communicator had even fallen off. Now she rushed over as Beverly tapped the communicator with her finger. "Doctor Crusher here."

The reply was static-filled but instantly recognizable. _"Beverly! Is Deanna with you?"_

"Yes, Will I'm here!" Deanna. "We're all okay."

 _"Stand by, and hold onto each other. I'm going to try site to site transport from ops."_

* * *

When Jean-Luc materialized on the bridge of the _Aldrin_ the first person he saw was Data. He'd almost forgotten what the android looked like. His arms were still wrapped around Beverly and Deanna, but he let go as Will Riker turned from a utility hatch and waved them over. Seeing them again was surreal, but there was no time for a reunion yet.

 _Warning. Forty-five seconds until decompression._ He pushed Beverly ahead of him as they rushed toward the entrance to the waiting life pod. He was the last one to the hatch, and fell to his knees as he began to phase. "No!" he shouted, reaching an arm out to Beverly who had just climbed inside with their child. She turned at his shouts. "Jean-Luc, hurry..."

He fell face forward onto the deck, and almost didn't feel the strong arms that reached down and lifted him up.


	51. Final Chapter

**Chapter 51**

 **The Life Boat**

* * *

When he awoke, the light was lower and it was quiet. He was lying on some kind of hard bed. His eyes fluttered and he closed them again. The sound of soft beeping gradually brought him back to alertness.

"Helm is set on autopilot," he heard someone say in a low voice. "It should only take us about an hour and a half to rendezvous with the rest of the fleet. Geordi reported in...he's safe and said he managed to get himself and a person named Mary into a smaller pod with a few other survivors. And Worf managed to keep the star drive in one piece."

"Good," said another voice, sounding relieved. "Will, why don't you try and get some rest then? After all that's happened, I know I could use some."

"Deanna, I can't rest thinking about what just happened to my crew," said Riker.

"I know, but the casualties could have been greater. And at least we're all together."

"I feel so badly for Beverly. She's been through so much. I should have never let her come with me back into the past...look at what's happened. And Wesley's gone...and now the captain. Deanna, it's obvious he's not going to be with us for much longer."

"We don't know that, Will," said Deanna.

"I'm not dead _yet_ ," Picard grumbled, having heard more than enough speculation about his impending demise. "Where are we? How did I get here?" He rubbed his forehead. "I don't remember..."

Data knelt down beside him. "We are in an escape pod, Captain. And I carried you. You are heavier than you appear."

"Oh really...well, I don't know what to say to that Data, besides _thank you_." He propped himself up on one elbow and looked around the pod.

It was a fairly small space, but large enough for this tiny crew. Beverly was curled up with the baby nearby on a similar small cot. Something inside of him activated at that moment and he moved to get to his feet unsteadily. Riker was there immediately and grabbed his arm to support him. Picard looked up at his former first officer. "I'm sorry about your ship Number One...but I am so very glad to see you alive. All of you," he said looking around at Deanna. Tears became visible in Will's eyes, and he gripped Picard's arm tighter.

"I'm sorry too, sir...for not believing you before...I should have trusted you." To Riker's surprise, Picard embraced him tightly.

"None of that matters a damn anymore," said Jean-Luc, letting Riker go. "It's over. And we're still here..."

Suddenly, he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his abdomen and bent over clutching his stomach. A wave of disorientation and nausea flooded over him and he swayed unsteadily, certain he was going to lose consciousness again.

Dimly he felt Riker step supportively to his side again."Sir, you should rest."

Picard straightened and then leaned on his former first officer. Distantly he admitted to himself that he never would have leaned on anyone for support before, in any way. But now he didn't think twice. Was he a different person now? "Will...help me...help me over to Beverly." Riker complied and soon Picard was sitting down on the floor leaning against Beverly's cot.

Presently she began to wake and her features curled into a smile when she noticed that he was there. "Jean-Luc," she said groggily. "You woke up. Are you feeling better?"

He didn't feel well at all, but he nodded yes.

"Good. That makes me so happy." She smiled sleepily and kissed the baby's soft hair. The sleeping baby clenched her little fist in her sleep. He smiled. She was alive and strong. All that mattered now... He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cot, and he felt her hand graze the back of his neck. It was a wonderful sensation. He had many memories of her now, but he'd never felt that one.

* * *

He turned despite the insistent pounding in his his head, and took her hand in his. He pulled the back of her hand against his cheek and then kissed it lightly, hoping that she didn't sense the fear he felt about what was happening to him. But even Will and Deanna had noticed he was unwell. He shifted his weight, and turned to face her. It was then that he saw again in her eyes the same expression he knew was present on his own face. An uncertainty. They were both out of place... or at least out of time.

"May I hold the baby?" he asked quietly. "I know she's sleeping, but..." Beverly smiled softly at him. If she was as uncomfortable as he was, she seemed to be hiding it better than he was.

"Of course," she said, and sat up with the baby, placing her in Jean-Luc's arms. For some reason, no longer afraid to hold his own daughter, he rested the baby's head in the crook of his elbow and looked back at Beverly who was watching him with interest. "Have you named her yet?"

She frowned and shook her head, sitting down on the deck beside him. "Of course not, Jean-Luc. I wanted you to meet her first." She stroked the back of his neck and he leaned into her palm.

He closed his eyes. "But you have a name in mind?"

"Jeannette...I want to name her after you."

Jean-Luc's eyes snapped open and then he laughed. "Oh the poor girl! Well, I'm honored of course to share a name with this little one. Of course, I defer to your judgment, Beverly." He cradled the baby closer to him, as a fearful thought occurred to him. Would this be the last time he would hold his child?

He felt her eyes on him, and he turned his head as they shared a kiss. When they pulled away she asked, "Jean-Luc, do you remember back in Hawaii when I told you I loved you?"

He took a deep breath. His memories were a jumble again. "I don't have to remember, Beverly. I hear you right now." He looked at her. "And I love you too."

She placed her hand on his face and kissed him again.

* * *

Quite suddenly and out of the corner of his eye there was a shimmering movement. Everyone in the pod turned their attention to the new arrival.

"I bring you news," said the Traveler. Beverly was the first to react as she leaped to her feet to face the visitor. "Where is my son? What have you done with Wesley?" She demanded.

Picard watched, alarmed by the shift in Beverly, but remained still, holding little Jeannette.

"At this very moment, Wesley is doing something truly amazing," replied the Traveler. "Something that will change things back to the way they were."

"How _dare_ you come back here without my son!"

"Beverly Crusher, I believe that I deserve your anger. However, only Wesley is capable of returning life to the way it was before Doctor Mayer found the Singularity Net. You see, years before Mayer encountered it, the Singularity Net was fragmented. It took many cycles for it to return to anything resembling the temporal prison created by the ancient races."

"You still haven't answered her question," Riker said. "Where is Wesley? Do you even know what he means to us?"

The Traveler nodded. "Wesley is now in the time and place where the Singularity Net became visible to Captain Picard while on your former ship the Enterprise."

" _What_?" Picard glared up at the Traveler.

The Traveler looked down at Picard curiously, and then smiled slightly as he noticed the child. "Captain I know it may seem strange, but several months ago when you feared your ship had flown too close to a singularity, you were not wrong. You saw the Singularity Net, not as it appeared to Mayer in 2355, but as it appeared just after I disrupted it many years ago, bringing it into this part of our galaxy."

"And why, or how could I have seen such a thing?" His disorientation increased again suddenly, and he clutched the baby closer to him closing his eyes tightly. Beverly knelt down beside him and looked up pleadingly to the Traveler.

"You see what is happening to him? Can't you stop it?" She gripped Jean-Luc's shoulder and stared down at Jeannette.

"Regrettably, no," said the Traveler, not unkindly.

Picard's eyes cleared and he was again in the present, at least for the moment. The Traveler continued. "Captain, how you saw the Singularity that day is still a mystery. However, I suppose that by the time you saw the Net that day, Mayer and Bok had already changed history by kidnapping you in the past. You had already been exposed to this singularity across time and space."

"So I did see something real," Picard said, squinting up at the Traveler.

"Perhaps what you saw as a danger to the _Enterprise_ was merely a memory or perception from your alternate past, Captain. Either way, your vision on that fateful day was crucial to Wesley now achieving what he must."

"So what exactly are you having my son do?" Beverly demanded.

"He will allow the ancient race that created the Net to retrieve that version of the Net that preceded Mayer. The one Captain Picard saw just before losing the star drive section of the Enterprise. It is imperative that the singularity net is retrieved prior to Mayer's interference so that the timeline can be properly restored."

Beverly shook her head. "I don't want to change back to the way we were," she said with quiet resolve.

"Beverly," Riker interjected. "What are you saying?"

She turned to Will. "Look at the Earth-what the Malkatans have done...look at my daughter, Will, and you tell me why I should want to change to the way things used to be. Everything is different now, don't you understand? And now, Jean-Luc is back. What will happen to him as he is now, when Wesley changes time? Will he just disappear?"

Riker looked away, having no answers, but the Traveler turned to Picard. "Nothing is guaranteed," said the alien. "Nothing is certain. But when the previous timeline is restored, we will be free of Mayer's influence and destruction. That is all I know."

Beverly pointed at him angrily. "Can you promise me that Jeannette will still be alive, or that I will even remember my child? Or that Jean-Luc will still love me?"

"No."

"Then promise me this one thing...that in the restored or corrected timeline-whatever it is called...you promise to stay away from Wesley. Forever. Can you do that?"

The Traveler looked at her squarely. "Agreed," he said before disappearing.

* * *

 **2367 About Four Months Ago...Again**

When Wesley materialized in the middle of the Enterprise engineering bay, he realized he hadn't anticipated the fear. Captain Picard's back was to him at a console, and he instantly understood why Picard had done what he did. He had been protecting his crew and ship.

But even if the singularity was not a true threat; not one that the Enterprise sensors had identified as a threat, the captain had now taken steps that were nearly irreversible. The ship was in danger. Captain Picard was getting ready to jettison the warp core toward what he believed was some kind of black hole. Wesley wouldn't stop him...he would help him.

"Sir!"

The captain's head whipped around, startled. "Wesley? What the hell?" He quickly took in Wesley's disheveled appearance. "Why are you dressed like that? And you've been injured."

Wesley remained calm and walked toward the captain. "I'm alright sir. Captain... sir, I understand why you are doing what you're doing."

"You do?" Picard glanced at the warp core, which was quickly failing. He had to eject it in order to avoid catastrophe. Either way, his ship was now doomed, thanks to him. He looked back at the boy. How the hell had he made his way down to engineering? Why was he here?

Wesley nodded. "And I want to help you." He held up the neutralizer ring.

"Attach this to the warp core. When it ejects into the singularity, the ship will be saved and the singularity will be gone."

"Gone? Just like that?" Picard looked on suspiciously, recalling his recent and frightening encounter with the tall gray alien Jailor just minutes before Wesley's appearance. "How do I know if you're really Wesley? Why should I trust you?"

Wesley adjusted his stance, suddenly imbued with the full confidence he knew he should have always had. "Because I'm the only one who trusts and believes in you right now, sir. So please... trust me."

Picard heard the computer continuing its countdown and then faced Wesley directly. "I trust you."

Wesley held out the neutralizer in his palm. "Let's get started sir. We have to change history to save the future."

Picard retrieved the strange object from the teenager, and examined it. "I had a feeling you were going to say something like that."

* * *

The Traveler decided to wait outside of the small life pod. Beverly Crusher wanted nothing more to do with him. Of course, it saddened him to have to promise to cut ties with Wesley Crusher, who was at least a kindred spirit, a fellow seeker of the true nature of space and time. Despite his promise, the future was not certain. However, if he was correct, when Wesley and Picard succeeded in returning the singularity net to its rightful owners, the escape pod and every other vessel which had just escaped the Malkatan threat would disappear from this place. Perhaps it would exist in this time, but not in this way, because if Wesley was successful, the Malkatans would have never met Bok, who would have never met Mayer. And so he expected the pod to disappear. But he was wrong. He could sense the change immediately, like a flood of relief. The correct timeline had been restored. And yet the pod remained. He re-entered the life pod with some trepidation, if not fear. What would he find? Perhaps the pod would be just as it had been. Or perhaps it would be empty. What he did not expect was to find just one single occupant.


	52. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

 **2367 Several Months After Wolf 359**

"Sir, Starfleet Command has been asking me for a final crew fitness report in the aftermath of the Borg assault on Earth."

Riker slowed his pace and glanced down at Troi, with a sigh. Even Deanna, with her innate positivity, was visibly tired and emotionally worn out. "Of course they are. Well...how are we doing?" He wasn't sure he wanted an honest answer. He knew that in the wake of Wolf 359, he still wasn't quite himself, just months after Captain Picard had been rescued. Still, he knew that his own positive attitude was a permanent part of him that would eventually be ready to reappear. Captain Picard, on the other hand, was another story entirely. As Troi was fond of saying, only time would tell.

" _We_ are doing quite well," answered Troi. "Collectively, that is. This crew is incredibly resilient."

"Then you'll give us the highest marks possible in your report then." Riker grinned briefly feeling a swell of pride. Quickly coming down again, he exhaled loudly as they stopped at a turbo lift. "We're one of just fifteen ships to have retained nearly our full crew complement, Deanna. We're lucky."

Troi glanced down the hall at a pair of officers who were walking toward them. Shrugging off a strange but subtle emotional tug, she returned her attention back to her friend. "Have you spoken with Captain Picard recently?"

He simply raised his eyebrows in a silent query.

"Not on the bridge, Will. I mean have you talked to him alone?"

Riker shrugged and stared at her will quizzical annoyance. "Of course not. You know how he's been since his-since his return."

"...and abduction," Deanna said.

"That goes without saying," said Riker uncomfortably.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean it _should_. The captain needs to be honest about what happened to him, and he needs all of us-especially you, Will, to support him in this."

"I'm not going to invade his privacy, Deanna. We don't have that kind of relationship."

"Avoiding the subject of his abduction only encourages him to be closed off. I am well aware of the Captain's need for distance. But privacy should not lead to isolation Will."

Riker shook his head, and glanced up, now noticing the two officers walking towards them. Momentarily he turned back to Troi, who was patiently waiting for his response. "I'm trying Deanna, but you know how he is. He could go years without telling me a damn thing."

Troi smiled slightly. Will was right. The captain's emotions had been hidden behind a virtual wall since his abduction by the Borg. When they did appear, they came in fits and starts, not nearly as disciplined as before his capture, and sometimes not unlike a frustrated child. She'd made progress, but her own frustration was now difficult to hide. She blinked, and then she had that odd feeling again as the couple she had been watching earlier was now passing by. She placed her palm on Riker's forearm. "Do you know them?" she murmured?

Riker re-focused his gaze again. "No," he said quietly. The two officers, a male and female, both wearing the gold and black uniforms of operations officers, were walking very close together. A young boy walked between them, reaching his arms up to hold each of their hands. Periodically they swung him back and forth, sending him into fits of laughter as his legs did a little dance in the air, before they lowered him back down to the deck. Then the game would begin again. The man flashed a quick smile at Riker and Troi as he passed. He was handsome with chocolate toned skin, while his companion was blond with very fair skin. She was too distracted by her son to look up, but both Riker and Troi felt it at the same time. Recognition.

"I mean...maybe," Will corrected his earlier statement, watching the three figures continue away from them down the hall. Somehow he expected the man to turn back and wave, but he didn't and the feeling gradually passed. He glanced at Deanna. "You were saying?"

* * *

"All I said was that I have been missing our breakfasts together. That's it!" Beverly Crusher paced back and forth with such vigor that he was afraid she was going to knock into the coffee table in his cramped living space.

"And I agreed with you," said Picard, keeping his voice even.

She halted and turned to point at him. "No...you made a noise. You _harrumphed_ , or something like that," she shot back. "You weren't even listening to me, were you?"

His eyebrows knitted together. "Of course I was!" _Good lord, what is she on about now?  
_ He rubbed his eyes. "Beverly, I don't understand...honestly."

She pursed her lips and stared at him. "I miss our friendship. Do you understand me now?"

He frowned but said nothing.

She shook her head. "Jean-Luc, we've seen a lot of each other in sickbay, and in staff meetings, but I miss talking to you as a friend. The last two times I invited you to breakfast, you backed out at the last minute."

He glanced away looking mildly embarrassed. "My apologies, Beverly. It was quite rude of me."

She crossed her arms. "Apology accepted. Now can you be honest with me about why you canceled? If you don't want to have breakfast with me anymore, just say so-I won't mind," she said.

He stared at her, unsure how best to avoid the trap he suspected she had just set for him. He opened his mouth to respond, but there was suddenly a popping sound in the middle of his quarters and they both turned to look.

There in the middle of his quarters, stood the Traveler. He was dressed in an oddly colored cloak and in his arms he held a small bundle.

Picard walked forward to address the visitor, but the Traveler held up his index finger. "Please," he said quietly. "It is best if we say very little at this time. I am here to provide you both with a gift."

"What?" Beverly stepped forward, looking at the bundle held loosely in his grip.

"It is a very special gift as you will come to learn. However, I will answer no questions from you about her-"

" _Her_?" Picard raised a hand slowly to point at a tiny hand which had emerged from the bundle. "Is that a-"

"This is your child," said the Traveler, handing the baby to Beverly. "To be exact you are both her parents," he said. "Now, I must depart, but I will wish all three of you to be well."

Beverly stared in amazement down at the baby, who to her unexplainable delight, settled down immediately in her arms. "But," she only managed to say.

The Traveler bowed slightly. "I must go now," he said again.

"Wait!" Picard shouted. "You can't just _leave_ like that-"

There was a popping sound again and the Traveler was gone. Picard stared in shock at the empty spot where the Traveler had stood, before he slowly turned back to look at Beverly. He reached down to pinch his own forearm. _This is real...not a dream._

She looked up and pulled back the blanket to reveal a bright red shock of hair on the baby's otherwise bald head _._ Picard's mouth went dry, but he approached until he was standing close by. There was a glimmer in the baby's bright green eyes that was unmistakably Beverly. And of course the hair was a dead giveaway. Beverly was mumbling to herself, still clearly in shock, just as he was. He found himself looking for some glimpse of his own features, and to his relief found nothing obvious, beyond the baby's lack of hair. Then to his surprise the baby gurgled and placed both her palms over her eyes, and held very still.

Beverly fixed him with a confused half smile. "Jean-Luc, I think she's ours."

* * *

 ** _So this is the end "beautiful friend, the end...". Anyway, my hope is that you enjoyed this story. The sequel to Man Out of Time, entitled A Full Circle will be posted soon. Although I posted part of A Full Circle earlier this year (or was it late last year?), it will probably look a bit different now, assuming you read it the first time. Thanks as always for reading.  
_**

 ** _I would also like to convey a message of support and hope for peace to all the people reading this in France. May you and your family and friends, and all of the people in France be safe._**


End file.
